Arpeggio of Blue Steel:Emerald Eagles
by The Celestial Sky Dragon
Summary: The year is 2056, and all Maritime Commerce has been halted by the sentient Fleet of Fog. Humanity is nearing the borders of extinction and is fighting desperately to change the stagnant Status Quo. Nothing seems to be working in there favor and time is running out. However, there are those who have made friends with the Fog, and are willing to fight. (Extended Summary Inside)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone. First and foremost, I would like to welcome you all to this new story. I wrote this two years ago when I was first introduced to Arpeggio of Blue Steel. I must say it's a phenomenal anime, I thought it was going to be a major turn off, seeing as it was a fully 3D rendered anime, but I instantly fell in love with it, all of the bright colors, the characters, the world, it was truly a magnificent piece of work, something that I have the honor of placing in my top 10 best animes of all time. I thought I would have my own take on it, this is fairly anime based as I haven't read up to the current chapters in the manga. Also since I wrote this a couple years ago, don't be too harsh with the grammar, I went through and corrected a vast majority of my mistakes, but I am only human, so I missed tons I'm sure. One more thing, I only have four chapters written currently and was not planning to continue this at this time, but if it recieves a good number of likes and reviews, I might continue it. I am currently working on like, three things at a time, which is really bad for me. So I will post what I have and let you decide, this fandom needs more fanfiction and I figured I would add my own.**

 **So, for now I hope you enjoy this first chapter, and before you start, I will say some characters are modeled after characters from the Kantai Collection series, I don't know why but some the characters from that series would fit perfectly in this one, but they are totally different in personality so if you are familiar with KanColle, then just be prepared for that.**

 **Summary: The year is 2056 and all Maritime commerce has been halted by the alien ships known as the Fleet of Fog. No one knows their true motives, but what they do know is that their rule of the oceans must come to an end. While the people of Japan are contructing a special warhead that will give them an edge in the war, the remaining US Military in Pearl Harbor is also developing their own methods, without divulging information to the continental United States. Jonas Rongil, a young man that washed ashore in Hawaii seven years prior is now about to graduate from Navy School, and wishes nothing more than to leave Hawaii and explore the seas in hopes of seeing his mother in what remains of the state of Florida. A chance encounter with a curious Fleet of Fog member maybe the ticket he needs to leave that god forsaken spit of land. This is the beginning of the Green Fleet, the Emerald Eagles.**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 1

Captain?

Smoke filled the air, and the sound of distant explosions could still be heard. War was being held in the Bering Straight, but it was already futile, as the human side was suffering heavy losses. In the Mid 21st century, humanity lost most of the Planets Terrestrial areas due to global warming. Hundreds of coastal cities sunk and millions of people lost their homes and their lives. New Islands arose, others disappeared and the world was forever changed. To make matters worse, an unknown fleet of sentient warships, known only as the Fog had appeared. No one knew their agenda, or who their creator was, but everyone knew they were a major threat. In 2039, the biggest war in the history of the world was waged, and humanity lost 75 percent of their Naval Fleets. From then on, the Fleet of Fog gained control of the seven seas, making it almost impossible to sail the oceans. Planes were brought down, as well as all underwater communications cables. Merely confirming the existence of other nations was next to impossible.

Everyone thought the Fleet of Fog was just created by some mad man who wanted nothing more than to stop the world from being connected to each other, and when he was satisfied, he'd call a truce and make some money in order to stop his fleet from attacking. Others thought they were the Judgment of God for destroying his Planet and abusing its resources endlessly. Then there were the ones who thought the Fleet of Fog was all the work of Aliens who wanted nothing more than Planetary take over and were driving the Humans to extremes. Whatever it was, the Fleet of Fog was a serious thing to deal with, and any human ship that ran into one of their own was guaranteed certain death.

Stories were told, back in World War II, of warships that came out of the fog and disappeared without a trace. The same was said in the Gulf War, but no one ever paid attention to them. It seemed as if they were on the planet far longer than anyone expected them too. And with their clearly advanced hardware, it was possible entirely that they had been here longer than even the oldest of countries. Who knew exactly where they came from? Everyone agreed to one thing however, they needed to be stopped.

The Bering Straight was a small area near the Arctic that separated Alaska from Russia. Since the sea level had risen, so had the distance between the two countries, but man made islands served to connect them. However, the Arctic Fleet of Fog also patrolled the waters near it. Before the war, a large bridge had been created connecting the two countries together. But at the beginning of the war, the bridge had been compromised. As the war started to end and the Fog started to retreat, both countries felt bold and started slowly retaking the bridge. The Fleet didn't seem to care, as it had been made public that they refused to attack human settlements. However, Man sometimes becomes to prideful, and they make mistakes, Grave mistakes. And this caused them to attack.

It was well past nightfall, and the smell of smoke still lingered. The Bridge had been the only thing to connect Russia to the State of Alaska, and now, since the Fleet had attacked a small Whaling vessel, had been lost completely. In the midst of it all, lay a young man, surrounded by the bodies of the people who were attempting to cross the bridge to Russia. He was only seven years old, still a kid but in this world, no one was safe. He was dazed, laying on the now broken span of the bridge and looking at the sky. Horns and sirens could still be heard in the distance, and bright purple explosions could still be seen.

He sat up, clutching his head. He felt something smeared on his forehead, he looked at it, seeing the crimson red liquid that could only be his own blood. He looked to his left, over the destroyed span of the bridge, seeing bright explosions in the distance.

He was on the Island of Yakor, one of the many islands that served to connect the Intercontinental Bridge that kept Russia and America connected. The Russian landmass was only 10 miles away, but now that the bridge was destroyed, swimming seemed like a more viable option. The young boy stood up, grabbing his head. He looked around for his family, only realizing that he was alone, with bodies of people who were attempting to cross the bridge. Remains of cars could be seen everywhere, their splintered frames in odd angles. Glass also littered the ground, along with suit cases and other personal belongings.

"Hello?" he called out, only to receive silence. Another explosion rattled the area, making him snap his head to the right. A Fleet of Fog Light Cruiser was sailing around the remains of the bridge. He didn't know what kind of ship it was, but its markings were a bright crimson. He wanted to scream, but held his tongue. No use in attracting them to himself. He started limping towards the other side of the bridge, trying his best not to alert the Light Cruiser that was sailing around. He tripped, banging his knee on the concrete. He let out a yelp of pain, and quickly covered his mouth. The Ship kept on sailing like it was nothing, making him sigh in relief.

" _Why aren't they attacking? Do they not kill humans on land?"_

He was still just a boy, so understanding the intentions of the Fog was still beyond his comprehension. The sound of a missile being fired made him stop in his tracks. He saw a large white projectile coming straight toward him. He let out a scream in fear, closing his eyes and waiting for the end. All he heard was a loud explosion before everything went black.

Jonah jolted awake, heart racing a bit. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, leaning back in his seat. It had been seven years since that incident had happened and yet he still had vivid dreams about it. He looked around the room, seeing the familiar creamy blue walls of his favorite place in the world.

He was in the communications room in the Naval Academy located in Oahu Island in what was left of the Hawaiian Islands. It had been seven years since the fall of the Intercontinental Bridge, and seven years since he had lost the last of his remote family to the Fog. He still didn't know how it was that he found himself on Hawaii, but he did. He was taken care of by some locals and when he was old enough, he joined the Naval Academy that had been established in what was left of Pearl Harbor.

During the battle for the seas, Pearl Harbor was one of the United States active Naval Bases, deploying several hundred battleships with able soldiers to carry out what was left of humanities hope. Out of 116 ships deployed, only Eight returned, heavily damaged. It was then that everyone on the Hawaiian Islands had lost hope in ever coming out of the war unscathed. The final attack on the Islands came from a Kongo class Fast Battleship, that destroyed the last of the islands able boats, including cruise ships which were planned to be used to transport civilians to San Diego.

It was then that the Island state had been cut off from the Continental United States, leaving everyone left on the island to fend for themselves. It had been hard, he had to admit, seeing a lot of civil war break out wasn't his cup of tea, but the remaining military forces had done their best to calm the populace down. Several places in the main island had been destroyed, mostly by the Fog, half of Iroquois Point was gone, along with several other places in Oahu and Honolulu.

The United States Naval School had been established not long after the Fog had taken over the seas in hopes that one day, someone was able to take down the Fleet of Sentient warships, but out of all the students in the academy, only few ever made it out with high grades, even fewer secured a good spot in the US Navy. Out of every ten students, only one Officer was elected.

Jonas sighed and leaned back in his seat. He had been in this academy for three years now and was close to his final year. He had a promising future ahead of him, according to all of his instructors, but what was the point of that if he was just going to sit in an office all day? Doing nothing. When he joined the Naval Academy, he thought he was going to be taught in Naval warfare, and for the most part he was, but since they only had Eight Battleships left, they didn't risk letting the cadets train on them.

It was 2055, seven years was a long time. His grandmother and his cousins had died when that Heavy Cruiser had struck the bridge. Somehow he had made it all the way to Hawaii and he never found out how or why. He had steadily seen the decline of the Island state, and now from the millions of people that once populated the island chains, only a few hundred thousand remained. The smaller islands had been seized by Militia groups and driven the US Army out of them, and they didn't have the resources to reclaim them. The fertile soil around the Volcano had been the only means to grow food, but even now it was growing scarce. Hawaii wouldn't last another ten years, and with no way of making it to California, they were all lost. It's why Jonas spent his time in this communications room, trying to develop a new piece of tech that would lock a Fog Ships weapons and allow humans to take it over. But his Senior officer had stated that it wouldn't work, and wouldn't let him test it. He was at a loss for what to do. He looked at his pistol, a Government issue 1911A1, which was a standard handgun given to all the cadets in training. He also looked at the magazine beside it, which was filled with blue ammunition, the special devices he had created.

He called them, The Anti-Fog Locking Mechanism, or ALFM for short. In theory, if he shot it onto the hull of the ship before they deployed their Klein field, he'd be able to lock down their weapons remotely, making them unable to attack. He could even stop their engines if he wanted too, rendering the ship unusable, unless he shut the device off. He had been able to design and make ten cartridges, meaning he didn't have time to waste on testing them, or the resources to make all new ones. He stood up and stretched his tired limbs, placing his gun in his holster and the magazine in his pocket. He closed his lap top and headed out of the Communications Room.

He passed by a few students as he made his way to the cafeteria, most had been kids who had been on vacation when the Islands were attacked. Even though the war was in 2039, it took the Fog a few years to fully drive man out of the seas. A few other students were the sons and daughters of Navy officials, and of the locals.

All of them were wearing the schools uniform, a pressed white shirt, with breast pockets, the left having the United States Flag and the right having the crest of the Academy, an Eagle holding Thirteen Olive branches. They wore a tie which was blue for the boys and red for the girls. They also wore black slacks, and leather boots. He himself chose to wore a blazer over it all, sometimes the crisp sea air made him cold.

A few students gave him a friendly nod while others plain ignored him. He was used to this by now. He was seen as that kid who wanted out of the Island. Everyone wanted to leave the island, it was true, but he himself had an adoration for anything other than Hawaii. He wanted to go home, to where his mother was most likely living, on the Eastern Coast of the United States. The reason why he and his grandmother and cousins had been crossing the bridge to Russia was because they heard it was better there. His mother chose to stay in Florida while they all went to Russia. His father was a raging alcoholic who did nothing but get drunk, so she was out of options. In retrospect, they should have stayed in Canada.

He ran a hand through his long violet locks, brushing a few strands away from his eyes. He had a rather pale complexion, as opposed to many of the other students who actually got some sun. He didn't have many friends, he admitted, but it was better this way. Less people to worry about in the end.

Finally making it to the cafeteria, he headed toward his usual table, setting his computer down on it. He walked over to the lunch line, which was empty and ordered his food. Once he got his order, he swiped his student ID and headed back to his table. He opened his laptop and opened the program he had created, and started checking the codes for errors. It was something he did now, it had taken him a little over a year and a half to fully code what he wanted, but he had been able to do it. Learning to Code had been hard, but he had a knack for it, even his teachers were impressed. If only the Naval Officers saw it the same way.

"Hey, you finally showed up." a familiar voice said. He looked up, seeing one of his few friends standing in front of him. He was a seventeen year old teen, with slightly tanned skin, and short dirty brown hair. He was carrying his backpack in his hands and a tray of food in the other, a smile on his face.

"Sorry, I was working on my program." he muttered quietly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"As always. It's all you do nowadays, but it's good that you work on it, you give me hope, hope of getting off this god forsaken spit of land we call home." he said, taking a seat.

Nick was originally from Wisconsin. His family had taken a cruise to Hawaii when the Fog had ceased all maritime travel, and thus had been stuck here for the brunt of it. His father had been forced into battle, where he lost his life. Since then he had been waiting for his chance to actually be put in a battle, but their Senior officers didn't approve of it.

"It's good that I give you hope. However, I won't be able to get anywhere if I don't test this." he replied, finishing his thorough scan. Like the last time, everything was still perfect.

"Well, I might have an idea that will solve that little issue you are having." a new voice added. This one belonged to a young woman, who was one of the academy's model students. She was wearing the female version of the academy's uniform, the only difference being that she wore a skirt rather than slacks. Her red hair was tied up with a black ribbon, which formed a perfect bow. Her light pink eyes glittered in the low lighting of the room. She had a wide grin on her face.

"Well hello to you too Chloe...weren't you taking an exam or something?" Nick asked, glancing at girl. She gave him a nod.

"I passed with flying colors, naturally of course. The officers said I would be a great Sonar operator in the future...you know if we ever actually go to sea." she said.

"That's what I'm saying. All this bullshit about me having great reflexes and high knowledge when it comes to armament and weaponry and yet they don't let me get on an actual boat. It's bullshit." Nick snapped, clearly annoyed. He grabbed his soda and popped it open, downing most of it in one go.

"Well, this is where my idea comes in. But in order for it to work, we have to head to Iroquois Point tonight." she said.

"Are you serious? You do know that it's illegal to go there right? That prefecture was blown to shit, there is nothing left, at least on the west side." Nick said.

"Yes, I get that but...I have been doing surveys around that area at night with my portable sonar. There is a Fog vessel that patrols the waters around Hawaii twice a month. I don't know what kind of battleship it is, but it puts the Navy on high alert every time it passes by here, there aren't any military patrols when it passes by. It's the perfect time for Jonas here to try out his little control thingies." She said.

"Weapons Locking Mechanism." He said.

"Yeah sure, whatever. It's the perfect time don't you think?" She asked.

"Except you forget, that it's a Fog vessel. Meaning that it's going to fire its Photon blasters, Nukes and Corrosive torpedoes at our asses. Not to mention its full armament, which includes Twelve 14 inch/45guns, 22 x1 5 inch/51 guns, 4 x1 3 inch/50 AA guns and 2 x21 inch torpedo tubes. And since its a Fog vessel, you can add fifteen to those totals." Nick said.

"If it was modeled after a Heavy Cruiser or something, but think about the praise that Jonas would get, he'd finally get the chance to test out his new device, and we'd also be able to show everyone in this Academy that we are more than ready to fight. I really don't want to be stuck in an office for the rest of my life." Chloe said.

"It's still suicide...tell her Jonas." Nick said, glancing at the brown haired teen. He stood up, grabbing his empty tray and tossing it in the nearby trash can.

"When will it pass by?" he asked.

"Around Seven PM tonight." Chloe replied.

"Really? Are we seriously doing this?" Nick said.

"I am. You said it yourself, you are tired of being stuck on this god forsaken spit of land. You want off this island, and I want to go home to Florida, for that we'll need to commandeer a ship, and what better way than to commandeer a Fog Vessel?" he said.

"Can you even say that? What if we fail? We could end up pissing her off." Nick said.

"We'll get to that when we get to that. Pack your things, if I do manage to lock her weapons, then we'll be leaving tonight." he said.

"Understood. I'll be heading out now." Chloe said, leaving the cafeteria. Nick sighed, finishing his lunch.

"Might as well tag along. I ain't letting the two of you die, that's for sure." he said. Jonas smiled.

"Good, and when we pull it off, I'll let you handle the guns." he said, making Nick grin.

Out in the Southern Pacific, a Fog Vessel was making its way toward its normal Patrol area. This vessel was gigantic, unlike anything the humans could ever hope to make, and yet it was based off one of their past designs. She was the Japanese Destroyer Shimakaze, the only ship of her kind. She was one of the largest destroyers on the Second Oriental Fleet of Fog. Her bright green markings struck fear into some of the lower class ships, but in all honesty, it just amused her a bit.

While she was large, she was one of the fastest ships in the fleet. Her Displacement was 2,570 long tons, 3,330 long tons with a full load.

Her Length was 129.5m, her Beam was 11.2m, her Draft was 4.15m. With her speedy engines, she was able to reach speeds of 90 knots, and even with a full load she could still reach 80 knots.

The proudest thing Shimakaze had about herself was her armament. Being a Fog vessel granted her with several special kinds of weapons. She had 6x 25 mm type 96 anti-aircraft guns, 2x 13.2 anti-aircraft machine guns, 56x 610mm vertical torpedo tubes, 8x 610mm frontal torpedo tubes, 12x 127mm Photon Cannons and 36 depth charges. And for defense, she had Wave force armor, which could block any corrosive torpedoes launched at her. This armament made her a threat, though against human ships, she wouldn't so much as break a sweat.

Recently, she had decided on crafting her own mental model, in hopes that she could act more like a human. She had been intrigued by them for as long as she could remember, and one day she hoped to go on land and try some of the things the humans had. She wanted to know what Ice cream was, and where she could get some Chocolate covered strawberries.

Her mental model was that of a sixteen year old girl, with long silver blonde hair, that reached just above her waist. She wore a white sleeveless shirt with a blue sailor collar, that left her midriff exposed, and had six golden buttons on it. She wore a very short blue pleated skirt with a red belt around her waist, the straps of her black thong could be seen on her hips. She wore stripped red thigh high stockings, along with a pair of silver metallic boots. The heels were thin and bright red. She was wearing a black headdress that looked like bunny ears, and swayed in the breeze. She wore long white gloves that reached to her biceps and were lined with blue stripes. Her bright green eyes scanned the horizon, as if something would be coming at her.

Shimakaze sighed, brushing back a strand of hair. She still didn't know why she had been sent all the way out East, but apparently the Navy stationed in Hawaii was becoming a bit more active. There had been rumors of a vessel leaving with several humans on it and making it to San Diego, somehow getting undetected by any of the patrol fleets. And seeing as she was the fastest Destroyer of the Second Oriental Fleet, her Flagship Hyuuga thought it best for her to at least check it out. She leaned back against the wall of her Conning Tower, bored out of her mind. The Island was just coming into view, she opened up her Radar and Sonar map, and quickly did a scan.

"There isn't anything here. No small vessels and no readings of underwater submersibles. Why the hell would Hyuuga even send me over here?" she asked herself. The sun was barely peeking out of the horizon now, since it was around Seven or Eight in the evening. She saw a few tiki torches lit up at the beach, meaning the humans were most likely having a beach party. She grit her teeth, becoming a bit giddy at the thought of going to a party. All of her friend's were stiff and wouldn't throw a party due to following the rules and what not, but there wasn't anything wrong and going onto land for a bit of fun, in her opinion anyway. If Hyuuga caught her though, she'd be reprimanded severely, probably have her core repaired again. She looked around for a few seconds before dropping her anchor. With a wave of her hand, she made a gangplank from her Klein Field, heading to the hill just above the beach.

"It won't hurt to take a peek. It's not like the humans would even notice me." she said to herself. She jumped down to the boat deck, landing with a loud clack before stepping toward the gangplank. It wasn't long before she started to run, being unable to hold herself back.

Jonas and his friends were patiently waiting near Iroquois Point, hoping to spot the Fog ship as it passed by. Chloe had borrowed one of her superior's tablet's, which allowed her to see any vessels in the remote area, but they weren't able to see anything whatsoever. Nick was looking though a pair of binoculars, hoping to see something out on the water, but so far he saw nothing.

"Are you sure this ship is going to come by here?" he asked, glancing back at Chloe who was holding her headphones tightly against her ear, eyes narrowed in concentration. After a minute, she looked at him.

"Of course she'll pass by here. Her patrol route is consistent, she's not just gonna stop, unless her Flagship told her to stop." Chloe replied. Jonas looked at the two as they argued, shaking his head. He remembered when he met them. They were the only two people that actually wanted to talk to him. He had been a loner his entire life, most people knew him as the kid who had dreams of leaving Hawaii even though it was impossible to leave at the moment. He would boast about getting out of this "Hellhole" any chance he got, instead of following the stagnant Status Quo and submitting to the Fleet of Fog. It wasn't something he wanted to do, he wasn't training to be a Naval Officer just so he could get stuck in some office doing nothing for the rest of his life. He wanted to see the world, and most of all he wanted to get home.

"Look alive you two, She's here." Chloe said.

"Really?" Nick asked, glancing at his redheaded friend. She nodded and turned the tablet toward him.

"Japanese Destroyer Shimakaze. She's one of the fastest ships recorded, and one of the ones that was responsible for the most human casualties of the Great Naval War." She said.

"Shimakaze is a one of a kind ship, why would she be patrolling the Eastern Pacific?" Nick asked.

"Perhaps it's because of her armament and speed. Hawaii's naval base is rather large, sending a Heavy Cruiser would just be a waste of time. They would probably lose their field and be forced to retreat, sending a Destroyer however would be a better choice, with her speed and armament, she'd be able to take out what remains of the American Fleet here." Jonas said.

"She just stopped moving." Chloe said, earning a curious look from Jonas.

"What are her passive Sonar readings?"

"I can't really tell. Her sonar is off actually."

"Uh...this is Shimakaze we're talking about right? Why would a Japanese Destroyer have her Sonar off?" Nick asked.

"Don't know, but it's off. Looks like she dropped anchor too...three...four miles away from the coast, and with her location she can't be seen by humans or detected by our Sonars." She said.

"Hey...I see something green in the distance...looks like it's headed to the hill above the beach."

Jonas took the binoculars from Nick and looked through them. He squinted a bit, seeing the glowing green path. He saw a figure running on it, in quite a rush. He followed the green path, which lead to something that was lightly glowing in the same green color. He lowered his binoculars and looked into the distance.

"I think I see the vessel. I saw a girl too, running on the green path." He replied.

"A girl?" Nick asked.

"It might be a Mental Model. There were reports of some Fog ships making mental models to better understand humans. That's just a rumor though, I don't know if it's true." Chloe said.

"The path is still there...I might be able to get on board."

"What? Are you insane Jonas?" Nick asked, glancing at his friend.

"I might be. I'm gonna go check it out, feel free to join me." he muttered, handing the blonde haired teen his binoculars back. He started heading down the side path that would cross the abandoned beach.

"Hey wait...you can't go. What if she attacks you?"

"Her mental model isn't on board, I doubt she can sense humans when she's not aboard her vessel. I'll place a tracer on her and lock her weapons, maybe I can negotiate passage off this island." he said.

"Nego...do you hear yourself dude? You aren't a pirate, you can't just barter passage off this island."

"Well I want off." He snapped, glancing at Nick, eyes narrowed in anger. He looked at the sand at his feet, taking a deep breath.

"I have been stuck on this island for Seven years, ever since the battle of Yakor. My Grandmother and my Cousins are dead, the only person left in my life is my mother, who must be sick and worried, hell she may even think I'm dead. I am not dying on this island, I am getting off. If you want to to stay here for the rest of your life, then by all means, feel free to stay, but I am not going to."

With that, Jonas turned around, heading toward the abandoned beach. Chloe stood up from her spot behind the large rock formation she was sitting against. She closed her laptop and turned off her tablet, placing her headphones around her neck. She glanced at Nick for a second before going after Jonas.

"What are you doing Chloe?" he asked.

"Following Jonas. He's right, I'm not dying on this island. I'm sick of just sitting around, taking tests and getting results only to be told that I might be good at something in the future. It's time I actually did something with my life. I'm not sitting in an office for the rest of my life." she said. Nick sighed, running a hand through his hair. He grit his teeth, glancing back at where the city was. He had lived there most of his life, and lost his parents due to wars. Deep down, he was tired of being on this island as well. His family was in Wisconsin, what was left of them anyway. He had no reason to stay here, and so he wasn't going too. He was scared, but he would swallow his fear, in favor of making a life of himself.

It took the three around twenty minutes to actually make it to the vessel. They were amazed at it's size. It was nothing near what the human ships actually had been. This Destroyer was capable of destroying an entire fleet on it's own, and yet here it was harmlessly floating in the water. Chloe was the first one aboard, followed by Jonas and Nick. They looked around the flight deck, seeing the large Photon Cannon that were primed and ready to fire. Nick shivered a bit.

"Those cannons can cut through a Navy ship without breaking a sweat." He said. Jonas smiled a bit, he was impressed with what he was seeing. Shimakaze was a threatening looking vessel. He no doubt knew that this ship had taken down several human ships during the war. Just how many people had been killed by those cannons? He saw the covers to the vertical missile launchers, glowing a light green. He nodded to himself and drew his gun, pulling the slide back.

"Are you sure this will work Jonas?" Nick asked.

"I'm sure. I programmed it after all." he said with a smirk. He took aim at the Conning Tower above them and pulled the trigger. The small tracer shot forward, opening in mid air before latching itself onto the antenna at the top of the tower. He pulled his phone from his pocket and unlocked the screen, tapping his program's app. Once it loaded, he started getting readings of the ship.

"Holy crap, you got it's specs?" Chloe asked, glancing at the phone. He gave her a nod, looking at all of the ship's compartments. Shimakaze was fully stocked on everything. She had 130 normal torpedoes, 70 corrosive torpedoes, 120 missiles, 36 depth charges, and 22 infrasonic torpedoes. Her propulsion engines ran on thanatonium, an element that humans didn't know much about at this moment, but had theorized was what made the Fog different from human ships. The biggest weapon aboard though was the Super Gravity Cannon. Survivors from the war had described this massive gravity weapon, one blast from it would devastate an entire fleet, it would even disintegrate a single ship given the chance. Once everything was all green, Jonas locked all the weapons. The thick glowing green markings on the hull of the ship slowly disappeared, and the green gangplank lost a bit of it's glow but held true.

"What do we do now?" Nick asked.

"We explore. We have to get acquainted with our new vessel don't we?" Jonas asked, a smirk on his face. He took off, going in a random direction. Chloe followed suit, not wanting to be left behind. Nick sighed, shaking his head. May as well explore the ship for himself, maybe he'd find something interesting aboard.

Shimakaze had finally reached land. It had been the first time off her ship in her entire existence. Everything was so different, the sand felt weird and walking in heels had been a challenge. The scent of burning wood and flowers assaulted her senses and was driving her absolutely crazy. She was hiding behind a palm tree, staring at a few college students having a party. Upon doing some research, she found out that it was something called "Spring Break" where students would throw parties and drink alcohol due to being off from school. She wondered why it was even called Spring Break as it didn't involve springs whatsoever. She stiffened a bit as a few girls walked by her, she clenched her eyes shut, letting out a sigh of relief once they passed.

"This is all so cool. I better record all of this for later." She muttered to herself, activating one of her recording devices. She saw a few people sitting by the fire holding sticks over the flame, she had found out they were roasting candy called Marshmallows in order to make something else called Smores.

"Hey you."

She eeped and fell down into the sand, her skirt riding up a bit. Several of the boys wolf whistled, cheering at the sight of panties, while the other girl's scolded them for their rudeness. Shimakaze looked up, seeing a couple girl's standing before her, holding her hand out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

The girl was wary. She this was her first time with actual human contact, ever. Even though she looked like a human girl, she didn't know how one truly acted. Though she had seen their body language and their attitude before, she didn't feel comfortable being herself around them. She slowly took the girl's hand and she was back on her feet shortly after. She shook a bit of sand from her hair and clothes.

"I saw you standing there by yourself and figured you wanted to join us." she said with a smile.

"Um...you don't know me." she said.

"We know that, but it's spring break, so it doesn't matter if we know each other or not. Though I haven't seen someone with your skin color in a while, normally all of the people here spend as much free time as they can in the sun." she said. Shimakaze looked at her skin color, seeing that she looked really different from the other girls and boys around her.

"I...stay inside a lot." she replied.

"I'll say. You're actually pretty cute, you got a boyfriend? If not I can show you a good time." one of the guy's by the fire said, a smirk on his face.

"Don't be a pig Chris, jeez. We don't want to scare the poor girl away."

"Would you like something to eat? You must be hungry." the girl that had helped her said. Shimakaze shook her head.

"No no, I'm not really that hungry." she said.

"Nonsense, we have plenty." she said. One of her friends handed her a plate filled with all sorts of food. Not wanting to seem out of place, Shimakaze grabbed the Hot dog and took a bite from it. As she chewed, she did a bit of research on the food itself, finding out that it was a type of meat made from cows, pigs and chickens. She swallowed the bite in her mouth, quickly taking another one. The girl smiled brightly.

"See, I knew you were hungry, what's your name?" she asked.

"Um...Shiki...call me Shiki." she said.

"It's nice to meet you Shiki, you can join us if you want. We have plenty of food." she said. The blonde girl nodded, following the tan girl to where her friends were.

After awhile, she got used to the scene around her. All of the people were very nice, though some of the boys kept hitting on her and the girls embarrassed her a bit. She felt as if she had lived with them for a long time, learning a lot about them and their dreams. Most of them were the same, to leave the island and go to the mainland, while others were content with just being alive. The more she interacted with them, the more she learned. One of the girl's had weaved a lei from the flowers growing around the beach. She apologized, saying they didn't have many flowers in the area, but she didn't mind it at all. She kept inhaling their sweet scent, blushing a bit from how they smelled.

" _I dunno why Kongo says humans can't be trusted. Their interesting creatures...I bet if she interacted with humans, she would change her views on them."_

She stiffened a bit, eyes widening. She looked to her right, where her ship was docked, seeing the glow of her markings fade out of existence. She stood up, and walked toward the surf, stopping just before the waves. She tried looking out into the ocean but couldn't see her ship whatsoever. She could faintly see the path she had left in order to get back on her ship before it slowly started to fade away. A window started to flash in her line of sight, but she didn't dare open it near the humans. The girl that had welcomed her to their party, Sasha, stopped next to her, a worried look on her face.

"Is something wrong Shiki?" she asked.

"NO...nothing's wrong...It's just...it's getting late, and I really have to go."

"Oh...that's okay. I hope you had a great time with us, it wasn't a traditional luau but we did it justice." she said.

"You did, I had a great time, and the food was awesome. I'll see you around okay?"

"Don't be a stranger." she said, waving her off. Shimakaze felt a bit sad, knowing this was probably the last time she would see her new friend. She slowly walked back the way she came, trying to find the gangplank she had created when she has come off her ship. She didn't find it at all, sighing, she set out to create a new one. She took the time to open the message that had popped up on her display. It was a message that said her Weapons had been remotely locked.

"What is the meaning of this? No one has been able to remotely lock my weapons ever. Could it be the Navy here finally got savvy enough to develop something like that?" she asked herself. She expanded her spec rings, searching for the problem. She found an unknown device attached to her Conning Tower and was the source of her weapons being locked. She tried hacking it, but it was too advanced for her to hack it. It would take her more than a few minutes to actually get in. She kept walking toward her ship, the faster she was on it the faster she could leave Hawaii, before the Navy saw that she was completely unprotected. Finally, making it to the side of her ship, she created a small stairway onto her deck, allowing it to disappear once she was back on board. She rose her anchor and opened her operations window, starting her engines. However, her engines didn't start, however many times she tried, she wasn't able to move at all.

"Damn it, what is going on?" she shouted, looking around. She found the blinking device attached to her antenna. She focused on it, accessing it's interface. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw the massive firewall on it. She started typing a series of decryption lines, trying to see if she could crack it's code. No matter what she tried, she couldn't get past the firewall...she would actually have to sit down to crack this thing open, using most of her processing power to crack a tiny tracer was beyond her. She heard a chuckle, and quickly looked at its source, finding a young man sitting atop one of her Photon Cannons.

"Impressive isn't it? I programmed that firewall myself." He said.

"Who the heck are you?" Shimakaze shouted, pointing at him angrily. Her rings expanded a bit, but since her weapons were locked, she couldn't do anything against him.

"I'm no one special. Just a kid who want's to sail the seas, and see the world. But more importantly, I want to go home." he said.

"Home? Isn't this place your home?" she asked, jabbing her thumb toward Hawaii. He shook his head.

"I'm from the East Coast of the United States of America. Florida to be exact." He said.

"Alright, and what do you want me to do about it? I'm not a ferry service you know." she snapped.

"I want you to help me. Shimakaze is it?" he asked, earning a nod from her. He jumped down from the barrel of the cannon, landing on the deck below him.

"You are currently three miles from Pearl Harbor's dock. It won't be long until they see your ship anchored here. They'll send out their fleet and fire against you, and when they realize your field is down, they'll fire their strongest munitions at you. And they'll sink you." he said, stopping right in front of the mental model. Shimakaze swallowed hard, her glare hardening a bit.

"But...I have the solution...right here." he said, holding his phone out to her. She looked at him, tilting her head. He gestured for her to take it and she did. When she scanned the device, she got the codes to unlock the tracer. She looked back at him, brow raised.

"You just handed me the codes to unlock your tracer...why would you do that? Do you know what I am?" she asked.

"You are a mental model of the Fog...I'm not a good negotiator. I thought I would ask you nicely if I could stay aboard your ship. My friends are aboard too but...I don't think their ready to meet a mental model yet." he said.

"You want to stay aboard my ship...what is your ulterior motive?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I just want to sail the seas and possibly go home?" he asked.

"It makes no sense. Why would a human risk his life just so he could sail the seas and return home? Are you just that stupid that you don't care for your own life?"

"That's not it. I guess...I want to know more about the Fog, and how I can stop them from attacking human ships. I think we can all be friends...I grew up having to live alone, my family is all gone, my mother is the only one alive and even now I have no clue if she's alive or not. Shimakaze, you are my freedom...my last hope. It's not like I can wait for another Fog ship to sail by Hawaii and ask her to get me out of here...please...allow me to just stay here. I'm not gonna stop you if you have to fight against other people."

She stayed silent for a few minutes, glancing at the phone in her hand. She felt a bit weird, her core was tingling a bit with an unknown emotion...was it...empathy maybe? Pity? She never pitied anything, humans included. Why would she feel pity now? Why would she even bother helping a human? Her thoughts drifted back to the kids back at the beach, enjoying their time. They had been nice to her, fed her even and talked to her as if she was human. The truth was she wasn't and they wouldn't know that. She wanted more of those moments, she wanted more experiences like that...and she wasn't going to get that if she stayed in the Fleet of Fog. Maybe it was time for her to leave the Fleet, even though she would be branded a traitor by her Fleet. After another minute of silence, she finally looked at the young man.

"I'm not going to let you hitch a ride on my ship for fun. I want something from you." she said.

"What would you want from a human like me?" he asked.

"Human experiences, I want you to treat me like a regular girl, not like a mental model and not like a war ship. If I allow you to be on board, it would be going against the Admirality Code the Fleet of Fog must absolutely follow. But if we make a compromise, then leaving the fleet wouldn't be so bad. Not just that, I'll...allow you to...be my captain." she said, looking away from him. She tugged on her skirt, pulling it down a bit while hiding her blush.

"You want me to be your captain?" he asked.

"I want you to be my friend first and foremost, but yes...I'll let you be my captain. But I have to scan you first so I know you are telling the truth about being my friend." she said firmly. He chuckled.

"Sure thing." he said. She nodded and unlocked her systems, the green markings returning to her ship. The sounds of the engines starting up filled his ears and sure enough, they started moving away from the Island of Hawaii. Shimakaze looked back at the young man, a curious look on her face.

"Well, what is your name Captain?" she asked.

"My name is Jonas Rongil, it's nice to meet you Shimakaze." he said, holding his hand out to her. She looked at it oddly.

"It's a handshake. Humans shake hands as a gesture of friendship." he said.

"Oh...okay." she said, taking a firm hold of his hand. They shook for a few seconds before letting go. She opened her status window, her rings glowing brightly.

"Alright, I need to scan you now. If I find out you were lying or are trying to damage my core, I will kill you." she said. He gave a nod and spread his arms out, allowing her to scan his body. Her eyes glowed brightly as she looked at the status screen in front of her. Her eyes widened a bit at what she found. She closed the status screen, giving him a nod.

"You passed, I believe you. I'll lead you to the bridge." she said.

"Oh, I already found my way to the bridge. I sort of left my friends alone there...hope you don't mind. You'll have to scan them too right?" he asked.

"No...it's alright. I just needed to know if you were telling the truth...after all you are my captain now." she said with a giggle.

"Okay, thanks again Shimakaze."

"Please...I want my friends to call me Shiki for short. And it's alright Captain." she said with a smile.

"I'm gonna go ahead. Hope you don't mind."

"No no, I'll meet you there." she said, watching him go. Once he was out of sight, she opened her status window again, looking at the results of her scan. There was a profile picture of Jonas on it, a picture she had taken right before the scan. Next to it was all of his information.

Age:16

Gender: Male

Height: 160cm

Weight: 65kg

Blood Type: AB

All of this was the basic medical results of the scan. What caught her attention was the second part of the scan.

Species: Human/Mental Model

Union Core: Takao Class

Genetic Modification at a large scale. Fog Union Core detected, unknown Vessel, specifications imply that it's a Battleship Core that was reprogrammed by humans. He also has a core processor in his brain which increases his intellect tenfold. It doesn't seem like he is human anymore. The Union core seemed to have remade his genetic structure, giving him the look of a human but the structure of a mental model and yet, he registered as being fully human. Her scans could barely tell the difference, and was borderline inconclusive. Going by his attitude, he most likely didn't know anything about this experimentation on him. If he didn't know then she wasn't going to tell him, however, she was going to due a lot more research the next time she was closer to land. She closed her scanning window down and headed toward the bridge, it was time to meet her new crew.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello guys, and welcome to chapter two of this story. I hope you guys liked the first chapter, even if it was a bit long. This chapter will introduce a few more characters into the story to set the general mood. I forgot the original reason why I wrote chapter two like this, but I'm sure there was supposed to be a battle there somewhere. I digress...hope you like it.**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 2

It had been a year since that fateful day. It had been hard at first, getting used to their new lives at sea, but Jonas and the rest of Shimakaze's crew quickly got used to it. Before communications went dead all around the world, Jonas and his friends had been reported missing. The Military that was left on Hawaii searched the entire island but found them gone. The Patrol Vessel that sailed around Hawaii had also been gone for a while before the report, so they assumed that they made a pact with the vessel and left the island. It wasn't long before they were all branded pirates and had a bounty placed on their heads, seeing as they betrayed their country and supposedly left with sensitive information that would be detrimental toward the country.

Jonas had been outraged at first, seeing as they didn't do anything other than leaving the island. They weren't responsible for stealing anything and yet they were being hunted down at all costs, stopping them from making port anywhere. They took risks and it had been hard to get supplies, but they had been able to manage.

He was currently in the bridge, glancing at the battle map in front of him, which displayed the results of their last encounter with one of the Fog Heavy Cruisers. His outfit had changed, from that of a Navy student, to that of what he thought a Captain should be wearing. He wore a black long sleeve shirt, with an unbuttoned blazer over it. The lapel of the blazer was decorated with white threads, and he wore a pin of their new sigil,which was that of an Eagle taking flight. It was a dark emerald green in color, the Eagle was holding three arrows in its beak, and thirteen olive branches in its talons. He wore a bright blue tie around his neck. He had on light gray jeans, held up by a black belt. Tied to his leg was a red holster, which held his 1911A1, along with his magazines and his tracers. On his left leg was a large fanny pack, tied to the side of his leg and his belt loops. Here he held more ammunition for his handgun, as well as his phone. He wore black buckle boots, with thick silver buckles, the tops of the boots were folded downward. Directly to his right sat the First mate of their vessel, a young woman of seventeen named Miku Yatogami. She was a slender girl, with long violet hair that cascaded down her shoulders. She had equally bright violet eyes and a very beautiful face with a light complexion. She was wearing a light pink jacket, over a silky purple sundress. She wore matching lavender heeled slippers that tied around her ankles, along with long white stockings. She was currently calculating how many arms they had used against the Heavy Cruiser they had just encountered. She had two laptops in front of her, calculating all of the information she currently needed. There was a tablet next to her, along with two keyboards. All of it was connected to Shimakaze's server, giving her access to all of her information.

Jonas had met Miku while sailing through the Northern Mariana Archipelago. She was the last living person on the island and was broadcasting a distress signal, begging anyone to help her. She was running out of food and was literally a step away from death. Shiki had homed in on her message and had sped up to her location. Miku had been very scared, especially when she saw the Japanese Destroyer dropping anchor near the islands, but she calmed down a bit when she saw the human crew walking off the vessel. It had taken her quite a while to get used to it, especially seeing a Fog vessel up close and personal, but she had quickly taken to her new friends, taking the spot of First Mate and managing everything on the Ship when the captain wasn't on board.

In between Jonas and Miku sat Shiki, leaning back against the wall with her specs window open, scanning all of her systems for damage. Her Klein field had held up, so almost no damage had been taken, but the close brush with the other ship's Super Gravity Cannon left her with several unresponsive sensors. One of her bulkheads had also taken damage and there were a few dents on the Starboard side, but it wasn't anything that would slow them down any.

Directly in front of Jonas and Miku were the other stations. To the very left of the bridge was the Sonar and Radar station, which was manned by Chloe. She had long since ditched her Navy uniform, instead making her own sailor style uniform. She now wore a light pink button down shirt, with a bright red vest over it. The lapels on the vest were black in color, with golden lining. Her pockets were black with gold lining around the top and the button was gold in color. She was wearing a short pleated skirt with golden lining and black frills at the bottom. She wore long black stockings and red heeled boots. On her leg was a small holster, which held her Beretta 92fs as well as her smart phone. She was wearing a pair of bright blue wireless headphones, looking at the radar to see if there were anymore enemy ships in front of her. The walls around her station was decorated with various characters from movies she used to watch, along with a small collection of romance novels that she read whenever they weren't in danger.

In the center of the room, was the Weapon's and Armament station, manned by Nick. It had taken him quite awhile to learn the process of using Fog class equipment, even with Shiki's Crash Course. The panels in front of him allowed him to load the missile and torpedo tubes with active charges. It also allowed him to control the turrets and photon cannons aboard the vessel. He had a large touch screen panel in front of him, along with two keyboards, which he used to program the missiles attack algorithms. The walls around his station was decorated with a few gravure girls and stickers of Mountain Dew products.

Nick was wearing a plaid green flannel shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. He was wearing black fingerless gloves on his hand, to prevent sweat to smear the panel in front of him. He had his collar rolled down and had left a few buttons undone. He was wearing blue slim fit jeans, which were faded in places. He also wore black leather boots, with the laces untied. He was leaning back in his seat, catching his breath after the fight they had just gone through. He was drinking from a can of Mountain Dew, smiling a bit with each sip.

The last person in the bridge was a brown skinned young man, with dark brown hair tied into dread locks. He was wearing a black tee shirt with a Pot leaf on it, which was wearing a pair of aviator glasses. He wore red and black shorts which reached to just below his knees. The outer pocket was lined with black thread. His headphones were sticking out from his pocket and was going through his shirt and hung out of his collar. His name was Takarou Shouichi, but everyone called him Taco for short.

In front of him was a panel similar to Nick's only it was displaying countermeasure armament. Originally, the Shimakaze didn't have any countermeasures, but Jonas had talked to Shiki and together designed several charges. They now had several types of countermeasure charges. The first one was a miniature homing charge, once the torpedo was fired, it would then fire twenty smaller missiles that would go after any incoming charges. They were hard to program but he had been able to handle it better than he thought he would have. The second type of countermeasure charge was the Klein field generator charge. When it detonated, it would create a Klein field around the Vessel, should the Klein field itself be saturated from an attack. Due to the previous battle, they were down to three of them, but they had proved quite useful. He also handled the Depth charges, though they hadn't faced any Submarines yet. He had joined the crew after they stopped in Australia. Even now, Nick made fun of his accent, but the teen didn't mind it much.

The final member of their crew was their Engineer, Serina Arlington. She was a girl of sixteen, and was the shortest girl of their crew, even shorter than Shiki and Chloe. Her attitude however was nothing short of her personality. She was around Five foot three, with long flowing sky blue hair. She had three pink flowers tied to a strand of hair that served to frame her cute face. She had bright green eyes, and a light complexion. She was often seen wearing a black tank top, along with green short shorts and brown boots. She had a white long sleeved shirt, which she tied around her waist in case she ever got cold. She handled the energy output for the vessel, as well as redirecting and managing the Klein Field. They had met Serina when they were shot at by the Navy vessels in Guam. Jonas had made a foolhardy decision to stop at Guam to resupply on Food, but someone had recognized Chloe and Nick and had ended up giving up their location. As they were leaving the Apra Harbor, Serina had waved them off, holding a sign in her hands begging to be taken with them. They let her on, but she had also been branded a pirate by the government, not that she cared.

Over the year they had spent together, they had gotten to know ant trust each other. Jonas grew to trust his crew with anything and everything they needed to tell him and in return, his crew did the same. Shiki was also rather content with all the human interactions and stories she got from each and every person on board. They hadn't told her everything about themselves, but she had learned a great deal about humans from them. The best part was that everyone treated her like a human girl, which made her even happier. She had learned quite a lot about acting like a human and developed her own unique albeit hyperactive personality. It made her aware of the world around her and gave her a self awareness that she wouldn't have gotten on her own. That made Jonas prouder than he had ever been.

However, during the year they had had a hard time traveling around. They had stuck around mostly on the Eastern and Western Pacific ocean. The Fleet of Fog was rather relentless, and had been attacking them on a weekly to monthly basis. There had been an order issued to all Fog Vessels to sink Shimakaze if given the chance. Attacks happened more often than not and made traveling quite difficult. Due to their pirate status all over the world, they couldn't make port often, though the only people that could actually got to land were Miku, Taco and Shiki, due to them not being recognized on any of the wanted posters posted in every major port. Jonas didn't know why it was the the American Government wanted them so much, they were just a bunch of insignificant humans, what was it to them what they did and who they aligned themselves with? Shiki however had a basic idea as to why they were wanted to much, mostly for what she had found on her captain, which she had decided to keep a secret.

She had done a lot of research on the matter, but not a lot of things came up. She was sure though, that Jonas had been experimented on, and harbored a Union core within him, which hadn't been active yet. The processors in his brain allowed him to think of solutions on a dime and had come in clutch during lots of sea battles, but he didn't seem to know about them himself. The processors also seemed to be made out of a material similar to the Union cores of the Fleet of Fog, meaning they couldn't be destroyed so easily. It also showed that Jonas was a bit more super human than most teenagers, being able to hold his breath for nearly fifteen minutes, being able to solve math problems in seconds and plan several plans in the course of three minutes. Whoever had done this to him, was a brilliant yet senile person.

Jonas sighed and leaned back in his seat, rubbing his eyes. He sat silently for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"How long did it take us to sink that cruiser?" he asked.

"Approximate battle time was exactly one hour and thirteen minutes." Shiki said in a monotonous voice.

"What is our armament looking at right now?"

"Currently, we are at half load. We used a surprisingly high amount of normal torpedoes on her, 60 out of our original 90. We also used 30 corrosives and 14 Infrasonic charges. Most of the rounds we fired were regular missiles, totaling at a 100. We were also forced into using our Klein field generators, and 12 of our Countermeasure charges. This is what we're currently looking at." Miku said, displaying the current armament to the rest of the crew. They were at 30 regular torpedoes, 12 corrosive torpedoes, 34 missiles, 8 infrasonic charges, and 4 countermeasure charges. They were also out of Klein field generator charges.

Jonas was more annoyed then concerned with the current numbers. He wasn't expecting a Heavy Cruiser to put up such a fight. The unique thing about this cruiser however was the fact that it was actually a merged ship. It looked like a Heavy cruiser, but it was showing the specs and call sign of two ships, a Heavy Cruiser and a Light Cruiser. The dominant processor was the one that made the mental model. They had both called themselves Isuzu, and currently they didn't know if the mental model had survived or not.

"If a Light Cruiser merged with a Heavy Cruiser, how come it didn't have more missile tubes?" Nick asked.

"It probably gave them up for that powerful Super Gravity Cannon. Heavy Cruisers are equipped with them, but since it had the extra boost of the Light cruisers engines, it was able to generate more energy. If it wasn't for those Klein field generators...I doubt we would have survived it." Shiki said.

"Crikey, that doesn't make me feel any better mate." Taco said, glancing at the mental model with a worried look.

"We wouldn't have sunk that fast, it would have given us enough time to escape. Of course we would be without a ship." She said.

"We made it through it nonetheless, which is a huge success for us. It's the first heavy cruiser we took out, be happy about it." Chloe said, a bright smile on her face.

"She's right, we should be celebrating this fact, and not moping around. Have you received word from New Taipei's port authority?" Jonas asked, glancing at Shiki. She gave him a nod.

"We have decided to resupply your supplies and munitions as thanks for reopening our fishing route. We have finished our security walls thanks to your protection, you may resupply here any time you need it, but we only ask that it be done during absolute circumstances." She said, reading the message. He gave a nod.

"Alright then, set a course for New Taipei Port. We'll take a breather there, sadly we wont be able to resupply on nanomaterials for awhile." he said.

"That's fine, so long as we get more dew." Nick said with a smirk, earning groans from his fellow crew mates. Shiki decided to blow her fog horn, as she excitedly set course for land.

"Oi oi, not so fast. I don't wanna upchuck my lunch yea?" Taco said, clutching the arms of his chair.

"Sorry Taco, I wanna go get some ice cream." Shiki cried excitedly. Chloe and Miku let out a giggle while Nick shook his head, grabbing a magazine he had been reading before they had been pulled into battle. Jonas stood up, stretching his arms and letting out a yawn.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air. Could you take over for me Miku?" he asked, earning a nod from the girl.

"As you wish Captain. Hopefully we don't run into any trouble." she said.

"I doubt we will. See you all later." he said, leaving the bridge. Shiki watched him go, a worried look on her face. She felt rather ashamed at not telling her captain what she had found about him, but couldn't bring herself to tell him. She was scared that her self proclaimed best friend would have a nervous breakdown up realizing he what he had been turned into. He wanted to one day return home, and the fact that the United States government had put a bounty on his head. Not just that, but Chloe, Nick and Serina were in the same boat. She honestly didn't know what to do.

"Is something wrong Shiki? You look kind of worried." Miku said, glancing at the blonde girl.

"Oh, nothing's wrong." she said, trying to act like her overly excitable self. Miku pursed her lips, not buying the girl's obvious lie, but she wasn't one to pry.

"If...you are sure. You know you can talk to me..and the rest of the crew, were all friends you know." She said.

"I know, but honest there isn't anything wrong with me. I'm just a little worried after the battle...restocking and stuff..considering most of our crew are wanted outlaws." she said.

"Heh, you're funny. The day I get captured is the day I die, no way in hell am I going to jail." Nick said, flipping through his magazine.

"Yeah, the Emerald Eagle Fleet isn't going down, not without a fight." Chloe said with a wink.

"You're right...thanks guys, for cheering me up a bit." She said with a smile.

"Anytime love." Taco replied, a bright grin on his face.

Jonas found himself walking on the main deck of the Shimakaze. He spent most of his time here, just staring out into the ocean. Sometimes he would go to the bow of the ship and just look down, seeing the prow tearing through the waves. He leaned against the railing, next to the Starboard anchor just staring at the waves. While Taco got seasick most of the time he was on deck, he got entranced by it. He would often see a myriad of sea creatures swimming in the water. They had recently sailed past a Pod of Whales, something that had entranced all of them, including Shiki herself, as she hadn't stopped to look at the animals around her before.

He had been thinking a lot about returning home. Surely it wouldn't be hard to go back to Florida, cutting through the Panama Canal would get him into the Gulf of Mexico. The thing was, that he and most of his crew were wanted men, and if seen by any of the remaining Naval Forces, would be immediately arrested and thrown in jail. They had committed treason by aligning themselves with the Fog, even though they had just done the same thing anyone else in their position would do. Since when was wanting to leave a place considered illegal? They didn't understand what it was like to be trapped on an island with literally nowhere to go but the same places. At least on the Mainland one could travel from state to state if they so wanted. That wasn't possible for the people of Hawaii. No wonder they were down to just 394,000 people.  
A loud metallic sound suddenly caught his attention, making him look over the railing. He didn't spot any reefs or sharp jagged rocks sticking out of the water. The same dull sound filled his ears again, and he glanced to his left, to where the Starboard anchor hung. He slowly made his way toward it, a hand already on his pistol. He peeked over the side of the railing, staring at the moving anchor. He didn't see anything at all.

"Perhaps I'm spending to much time on the bridge." he muttered to himself. Deciding that he had gotten enough air, he decided to head back to his quarters to rest for awhile. He turned around, only to be slammed into the railing. He groaned in pain, looking up for a brief second before dodging the fist that was thrown at him. He took a few steps back, trying to get a good look at his opponent, only to sigh angrily.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, not surprised in the slightest. The person stiffened and turned around, giving him a hard glare.

His attacker had the appearance of a girl, around seventeen years of age. She had long flowing black hair, tied into twin tails held up by white ribbons. She was wearing a sleeveless white shirt with a red sailor collar, which had a black stripe on it. The shirt did little to hide her impressive chest. She was wearing a red high waisted skirt, which reached to just above her knees. She wore a long white stocking on her left leg and a black stocking on her right leg, with red lacing around the top. She wore a black leather boot on her left leg and a white leather boot on her right leg. Her bright blue eyes stared into his own green ones.

"What am I doing here?" she snapped, balling her hands. She grit her teeth so hard she almost cracked one of her teeth.

"You want to know why I am here human? The answer is simple, I came here to kill you. After all you did sink my ship earlier." She shouted.

"Isuzu, with all due respect you were the one who decided to attack us. You were foolish enough to attack us, send your only plane at us and then get close enough for one of our corrosive charges to saturate your field. That was all on you."

"Oh, like it was my choice to battle you. I was ordered too." she snapped.

"You could have not taken that order." he said with a shrug.

"Really? It was an order from a direct superior...I can't ignore those, it's a violation of the Admirality Code." she said.

"And what is the Admirality code gonna do? Track you down and spank you for telling it to fuck off?" he asked. Her eyes widened a bit, not expecting that answer.

"I...shut up." she snapped, looking away from him. He sighed and shook his head.

"Listen, if it means anything to you, I'm sorry for sinking your ship. In all honesty, if you hadn't shot first, I would have attempted to make contact with you in order to form some sort of alliance. I don't want to sink anymore of Shiki's friends. She may not care about the other Fleet of Fog ships but they were all friends before she left the fleet, and I don't want to see her friends end up dying." he said honestly.

"Do you hear yourself speak? I am going to finish you here and now, and after I am done I will kill your crew and take your heads to my flagship." she snapped, suddenly running forward. She willed her Klein field into a long golden blade, which she swung at Jonas. He didn't move whatsoever, simply calculating the direction of the sword. He ended up dodging it at the last second, the sword sliced through the deck, leaving a long gash along the wooden planks. She growled in anger and lifted her sword over her head, aiming to cut the teen in half. She swung her sword down hard, thinking that it would be enough to end the teen, her eyes widened in shock when it collided with a green octagon shaped shield. She jumped back, avoiding the incoming attack from her new opponent.

"You will not hurt my Captain while aboard my vessel. How dare you think you can even attempt an act like that." Shiki shouted, clearly pissed off.

"Shimakaze, I was wondering when you would show up. How's it going? Enjoying your freedom?" She asked, holding her sword in front of her.

"I am. Why did you decide it was a good idea to attack my captain?" she asked.

"Because he sunk my ship. I thought I would get revenge on you by killing your human crew. You are a disgrace to the Fleet, leaving our side for nothing more than curiosity. You shame the entire Fleet as a whole." she said.

"Really? I was only following my heart...well...I was talked into it by Jonas here, but it doesn't matter. I want to fit in with humans and gain all the human experiences I can. I've learned so much in the year that I have been away from the fleet. I want to share that with everyone else, but I'm not ready too...how about you be the first one I share these experiences with Isuzu? You can stay on my ship, maybe be our friend?" she asked.

"You want to be my friend, after I attacked your captain with the intent to kill?" she asked.

"Yes, that's what understanding does to a person. How about it Isuzu?" Shiki asked, holding her hand out to the black haired mental model. The girl looked away, letting her sword disappear from her hand.

"Heh, I suppose I can join you. I would be following our former Flagship's footsteps anyway." she said, shaking hands with Shiki.

"What happened to your former Flagship, if you don't mind me cutting in?" Jonas asked.

"Our former Flagship, the Fast Battleship Hyuuga was sunk by a surveillance submarine, the I-401. They recovered her core and she decided to join their crew. Her final Flagship command was to follow the Admirality Code until the new Flagship was assigned."

"Damn, I wasn't expecting someone like Hyuuga to defect from the Fog. Regardless, it is my honor to welcome you to our family Isuzu." Jonas said, a smile on his face.

"Family?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think of my crew as my family. Since you are a new addition to our crew, that makes you a part of our family." he said. Isuzu didn't know why, but she found herself smiling a bit.

"You can be my sub processor if you want. Or you can manage my flight deck, seeing as you launched a float plane at us earlier." Shiki said.

"You don't have a plane though...I wouldn't mind being your sub processor, and I can manage the flight deck once you get yourself some planes to launch." She said happily.

"Shiki, how close are we to New Taipei Port?" He asked. She opened her map, narrowing her eyes a bit. She tracked the distance before showing it to him.

"We're 400 nautical miles from the port. Miku already made a resupply list for our munitions and supplies. Nick wanted to check out some firearms while in town, he said he wanted to start designing some Photon Rifles in case mental models decide to attack us." she said.

"Well, I think he's a little late on that idea." Jonas said, glancing at Isuzu who blushed and looked away.

"Would you like me to maintain current speed and energy levels?" She asked.

"Yes, that's fine. Should we go introduce our new crew member to the rest of the crew?" he asked.

"Of course. We need to get her settled in, Isuzu you are gonna absolutely love everyone. Their really nice...and once we make port, I'll take you out for ice cream, I know I can't replace your ship, but ice cream can really cheer you up after a bad day. Lets go." she said, taking the girl's hand.

"Wah...don't tug so hard." Isuzu cried, being forced into a sprint by the blonde mental model. Jonas followed along, shoving his hands in his pockets. He wasn't sure how this new relationship with Isuzu was gonna go, he didn't fully trust her yet, but having a sub processor on board would be great for Shiki.

He returned to the bridge, where Shiki was introducing the crew members to the very nervous looking black haired girl. He chuckled, taking his seat, content with watching the mental models interact with the rest of his crew. Miku tapped his shoulder, a small smile on her face.

"I'm happy you decided to have her join us. To be honest with you, we were all kinda watching your interaction since we sensed her on the side of the ship." She said.

"Really?" He asked.

"It wasn't hard for Shiki to find her mental model. She did a scan for any possible hidden surveillance ships and found her clinging to the anchor." Miku replied.

"Huh...isn't that interesting. Anyway, may I see the resupply list you made?" he asked. She nodded and handed him her tablet. He skimmed the list, humming to himself trying to see if she had missed something. After a few minutes, he handed her the tablet back satisfied with the list she had created.

"Great job, can I count on you and Taco to handle the resupply? Me and Shiki are taking Isuzu out for ice cream as a little apology for sinking her ship. I figure it's a perfect experience for them both." he said.

"Sure thing. I don't mind." She replied.

"Good...hey, I heard from Isuzu that the Fast Battleship Hyuuga was sunk by the I-401." he said, slightly above a whisper. Miku looked at him, brows nit in curiosity.

"Isn't the 401 just a Surveillance submarine though?"

"Yeah, I think it's due to that Blue Steel Fleet I've been hearing rumors about. When we were in Singapore last week, I heard rumors of a blue submarine taking on a Light Cruiser near one of the islands."

"Interesting. It's good to know we aren't the only humans who have aligned themselves with the Fleet of Fog. Though I think we are our own group, don't you?" she asked.

"Of course we are. We are the Emerald Eagles, the fleet that will make friends with the Fog instead of sinking them. Listen up everyone, now that you've all been acquainted with Isuzu, I want you all to to know that she will be acting as Shimakaze's Flight Deck operator and as Shiki's sub processor. I want you all to treat her like one of the crew and part of our family." He said.

"Welcome to the team love. Hope you don't mind a couple of rookie sailors." Taco said, giving her a bright smile.

"I ain't a rookie. Maybe you are, you Aussie bastard." Nick said.

"Oi mate, watch what ya say, else I'll feed ya to the dingo's yeah?" he countered.  
"Don't mind them. There just all talk and testosterone. They haven't actually fought before." Chloe replied.

"Heh, wish they actually would fight." Serina said, since she was in the engine room, her face was displayed on the big screen. Isuzu looked around, feeling a bit embarrassed and out of place.

" _They treat me like a friend, even though an hour ago I wanted nothing more than to sink them to the bottom of the ocean. Human's are weird creatures."_ she thought, narrowing her eyes.

"Alright, now that we are nearing New Taipei, I'd like to make another plan of action. Once we have gathered our supplies from the Taiwanese Navy, we will be heading back to our home port to resupply on nanomaterials. Since Isuzu will be our Flight deck operator, I figure its high time we get a float plane. That and we're running low on thanatonium charges. We need to be ready for anything." He said.

"I have a suggestion, if you are willing to follow my directive." Isuzu said, getting Jonas's attention.

"I don't think I trust you enough yet to let you make a plan." Serina said, narrowing her eyes.

"Let her talk Serina. What is your idea Isuzu?" he asked, glancing at the black haired mental model.

"Well...it may be a little bold but, I thought maybe we could intercept one of the Fleet of Fog resupply vessels. They are responsible for making nanomaterials for the fleet to use when they have been damaged or are out of thanatonium charges. There are two for the First Oriental fleet, depending on where our home port is, we may be able to set up a trap." She said.

"Our home port is Rota Island in the Northern Mariana Archipelago." Jonas said.

"Wha...don't give her that information so freely. We can't trust her yet Captain. Think about it for a second." Serina snapped. He glared at her, successfully shutting her up. Isuzu opened her specs and started looking at all the possible routes. Once she was done, she cued the plan up on the big screen. The blinking Green dot was their current position. It showed a bright green line leaving Taiwan, heading toward Rota Island. There was a red dot indicating the current location of the Fleet of Fog's resupply vessel, named Shiretoko. She was currently stationed just outside of Okinawa Japan.

"This is the location of our Fleet's resupply vessel. She's very big, taking the form of a large oil tanker, and as far as armament goes, she has the same amount as a Surveillance submarines. Her wave force armor is very high though, so battling her isn't a bright option. And since she can make nanomaterials, she can make an infinite supply of munitions, including thanatonium charges. Her entourage includes seven Nagara class Light Cruisers and one Heavy Cruiser, but lately she's been left with just two Light Cruisers. Apparently someone is stirring up the forces up north and required their assistance. If we plan accordingly, we may be able to capture her." She said.

"Capture a Fog ship? Is that even possible?" Nick asked.

"It is, if we force her hand and get her to hand over her root access codes. We'll be able to lock her weapons and essentially tow her with us. She'd also be forced out of the concept comm system, blocking her only way to call for help and her Flagship is no longer in command, so she's defenseless. Poor little puppy." Shiki said, glancing at the map.

"If you reacted this way, that means you think its a good idea?" Jonas said.

"It's not a good idea...its a damn great idea. I gotta hand it to ya Isuzu, you really know how to think on your feet." Shiki said, praising the girl.

"I only did it because it was for the captain, not for you." She replied, crossing her arms and looking away.

"No matter what, it was a great idea Isuzu, thank you."

"Captain, we're almost at the port." Miku said, grabbing his attention.

"Alright, cut the engines to half power. Get ready to shore up, Shiki start the pumps to counter the new weight." he said.  
"Aye captain." they all cried, just like that it was back to business. Isuzu looked out of place, looking at all of the humans around her get back to work. She simply stood there, clutching her arm behind her back hiding her eyes behind her hair. Jonas chuckled, getting her attention.

"Would you like to take my seat for the time being?" he asked.

"But...you're the captain. I can't take your seat." she said.

"I think it will be fine for now. After we make it to Rota we'll figure out where the Flight station will go. After all we'll need you to monitor our planes right?" he asked. She gave a nod.

"R-right."

"Access codes for the defense barrier received, maintaining current speed to Dry dock 3. Oh boy, we're almost there...I can almost taste that Pistachio Berry swirl." Shiki said, licking her lips. Miku giggled at her antics. Isuzu smiled a bit, she may have been an enemy before, but she would at least try to learn more about the humans that spared her life. She may have been a Fog vessel before, following the Code, but now that she was free..she could explore and become her own person. The thought of that scared her, but also filled her with a feeling she couldn't quite process. She would try her hardest for her new friends, until the day she could no longer go on.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's chapter 3 everyone. I just wanted to post these two today and finish editing chapter for and get it ready to post, though from there on out, I doubt I will continue for awhile. As I said before this was something that was lying around in my files and I thought it was good enough to post it here, so that's what I'm going to do. I felt bad for even thinking of deleting it, but I have so many files in my computer that I had to start somewhere, thankfully I thought things through and decided not too...I hope you like this chapter.**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 3

Shiretoko wasn't expecting to battle so early on in the morning. She had docked on what was once Okinawa International Airport, waiting for the resupply orders to go through so she could start making more armament and nanomaterials. In order for her to process things better, she figured having a mental model would work out in her favor. She had adapted herself to look like a fifteen year old girl, with creamy white skin that shined in the sunlight. She had long brown hair that reached to her waist, along with bright chocolate brown eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless dress with black shoulder straps. The dress was a hot pink in color, with black and white lines forming sideways squares, giving it a plaid look. The front of the dress had thick black buttons on it, along with two thick black strips that ran down the bodice of the dress. It had a two layer frilly pink skirt, with a ruffled black hem which ended just above the mid thigh. She wore black thigh high stockings with matching black combat boots, with hot pink laces. She wore a matching plaid ribbon on her hair, with a thick black bow on it, which was adorned with a black rose. She had a choker around her neck, which had a silver buckle on it, tied to it was a small heart shaped pendant which was pink in color.

She had been minding her own business, standing on the Conning tower of her ship, her specs calculating everything she'd need to make more nanomaterials.

For convenience purposes, she had adapted her hull to look like an Oil tanker. Her entire surface deck was rigged with many cranes and mooring arms, capable of hoisting up most small class vessels, such as Surveillance Submarines and Light Cruisers. For anything above a Light Cruiser class, her top deck opened outward and folded down, allowing the ships to dock within her own vessel. There she would continue repairs. As such she had very little in the armament department. Her conning tower was a large white structure located near the Stern of the ship, on the poop deck, and it was a structure that spanned three stories into the air. Her hull was double plated, and she had Eight decks total, three of them holding her nanomaterial crafting equipment, which took in Salt water and minerals found in sea water and crafted them from scratch. She also had drills which allowed her to dig into the land and pull out ore and other metals for crafting such materials.

She lacked in the armament department, only having Four photon cannons near her conning tower, along with 16 missile tubes and 8 torpedo tubes. To compensate for her lack of armament, she had the highest of Wave force armor the Fleet of Fog had. It was capable of taking twenty four direct hits from thanatonium charges. She needed it, since her Tonnage was 234,861 DWT and her displacement was around 250,453 long tons. Due to her massive length and weight, she wasn't fast either, only being able to move at around 23 knots, 30 without any material within her hull. No one had the audacity or sheer strength to even think about attacking a resupply vessel, and yet here she was being attacked. Another thanatonium charge hit her Klein Field, the light pink octagons protecting her hull from damage. The ship rocked to the side as it detonated. She grit her teeth, looking to her right.

"Theta, Beta. Get your asses in gear and stop those intruders." she called out. The two Nagara vessels next to her blew their fog horns as loud as they could, receiving her orders to attack, and quickly broke off from their mooring lines, steaming toward the enemy ship. Her eyes scanned her Sonar and Radar, trying to spot the enemy. Due to a little spat up north, half of her protecting entourage was gone, leaving her with only two Nagara class vessels. The snapping of missile tubes filled her ears as Theta and Beta started firing their loads at their target. Her scanner beeped, showing her the position of her attacker. Her eyes widened.

"Shimakaze? And Isuzu?" she cried out, disbelief written on her face. Her mind was in a state of shock while her processor was trying to find a solution to the current dilemma. Her screen turned red, as several thanatonium charges were moving toward her at a fast speed. Three of them made contact with Theta, who's armor held true, but for Beta, she was unable to deploy fast enough and took a warhead on the Starboard bow. Her hull exploded and she started sinking below the water, her stern slowly raising as another warhead barreled into her keel. She grit her teeth, waving her hand outward and sending a stream of nanomaterial to the rapidly sinking vessel. She wouldn't be able to maintain her field as well as she normally would, but she'd at least fix Beta and stop her from sinking.

"Theta, shift your course on bearing 215 and protect Beta while her repair operations are online. I'll buy you some time until she is finished repairs." She said. She earned a confirmation signal from the cruiser and rose her hands into the air. Loud alarms filled her ears as her glowing markings increased. The middle of her deck split open and started to open up. The good thing about being a resupply vessel was the fact that she had the specifications for all Fleet of Fog vessels, should she ever need it. She couldn't build a new ship without a core, but she could form their weapons easily. Her mooring deck rose up, locking in place as several photon cannons formed on it. A smirk wormed its way onto her face as she started turning her prow toward the west, homing in on Shimakaze's location.

"So, you think it's a wise idea to attack me eh? A valiant effort but a foolish one all the same. And I expected better from you Isuzu...considering I helped fix your Super Gravity cannon not that long ago. I suppose this is how you repay the favor...but it's not how I'll repay yours." she said, aiming her cannons at the Destroyer that was around 15,000 or so meters from her current position. Due to her being next to an island, it meant that they couldn't get any closer, due to possibly hitting a reef. That didn't stop them from coming around for a better target. Her photon cannons opened up, and a glowing pink energy formed at their center, exploding into a thick beam of energy that flew out at the ship.

"That's right Shimakaze. Stay still so that I can pump you full of holes."

"Photon cannon fire heading for us. Contact point will hit in four seconds...three...two...one...Klein field has taken the impact." Chloe cried out.

"Alright, flood tubes Eight and Nine and fire the charges. Load Starboard missile tubes and aim for Beta while she's still repairing." Jonas called out. His eyes focused on the three dots before them. He knew the Light cruiser had sustained heavy damage from their initial attacks. Their Klein Fields would saturated rather quickly, while focusing on the already damaged ship, it would hinder Theta and leave her open for attack.

"Captain, incoming thanatonium charges, 35 contacts, the first 15 will hit in ten seconds." Chloe cried out.

"Sidekick hard to Starboard, fire all available countermeasures, follow up with a missile barrage. Load forward compartments with Sonic charges and then enter silent running."

"What are you planning captain?" Isuzu called out, eyes drifting back to her captain. The entire crew was busy carrying out orders, the taps of screens and the tapping of keyboards filling her ears. It was an unknown series of actions for her, was this what she lacked before? Tactics like these would have helped her out in the past. Jonas glanced at her, a stern look on his face.

"We need to lure Shiretoko into a sense of false security. By firing countermeasures and active missiles at Beta and Theta, it will drive her into countering. She has little armament and while she can make photon cannons, she can't maintain them so easily. Saving Theta and Beta are her overall top priority, seeing as their her only defense. By entering silent running, she'll loose our contact point. Making her think we're moving around to find a better target will hopefully cause her to shift her course." he said, leaning back into his seat.

"Genius, if I do say so myself." Miku said.

"Don't be such a kiss ass Thunder tits, even if it's a genius plan, it still has holes in it." Serina called out, her image filling the bottom of the battle map. Miku grit her teeth, her face flushed in anger at being called Thunder tits. The ship rocked a bit as all of the missiles were fired outward. The green dots made contact with the incoming red dots, taking them out. Serina cut the power to the engines, slowing them down to a crawl.

"Now we wait." he said, leaning back in his seat, folding his hands over his lap. Shiki looked at her specs, trying to assess the situation as much as possible. Some of her sensors were still damaged so she couldn't tell what a lot of the noise was. She simply hoped Shiretoko didn't catch onto their bluff.

Shiretoko shook her head. She felt a bit dizzy, and waved her hand, dismantling her photon cannons, as it was taking too much of her processing power. She expanded her search radius, but her signal was being jammed. She couldn't see sense anything after a 4,000 meter radius. She glanced at her support, seeing Beta back to her old self.

"Beta, how are you doing?" she asked.

" _Most of my sensors are damaged and there are parts of my hull that will need further inspection. But I am fit for battle."_ Beta replied, her voice sounding rather firm. It lacked emotion, something most Fog vessels didn't seem to understand. It didn't bother Shiretoko at all actually, it made her feel a little better knowing she was unique.

"Good, search the waters in front of me. My signal is getting jammed 4,000 meters out so I cannot detect Shimakaze at all. Watch out for Isuzu as well, she may have Float planes with her."

" _Understood."_ both cruisers said, steaming toward the last known location of Shimakaze. Shiretoko ran her fingers through her brown hair, grabbing a strand and looking at it. Her eyes narrowed a bit, glancing at each strand carefully. She looked at her hand, opening and closing it a few times, before shaking her head.

"No...there is nothing wrong with me. I must do everything in my power to avoid being destroyed." she said. Two loud explosions filled her ears, and she looked over her deck, eyes widening when she saw the glowing red spatial fields. Beta and Theta had been gravely struck, both ships were now rapidly sinking below the waves. She balled her hands, pulling at the skirt of her dress.

"Damn it. I am not losing here." she shouted, raising her hands into the air, sending streams of nanomaterial at the two Nagara cruisers. Her ship rocked as her Klein field absorbed multiple hits, she stumbled falling off her Conning tower. She let out a scream of fear and frustration, grabbing onto one of the iron cables that held the tower up. Because of this, Beta and Theta were lost to her.

"Damn you Shimakaze. What's it gonna be?" she shouted. She opened her missile tubes, firing a stream of missiles at the vessel, knowing full well that normal warhead wouldn't do anything. She pulled herself up, and started closing her upper deck, while shifting her course at the same time.

"Shiretoko is shifting her course, she's pointing her prow at us. Sixteen contacts are flying at us, they will impact in seven seconds." Chloe said.

"Raise the field to 20 percent. Serina run the engines at fifty percent, Shiki prepare to fire the Super Gravity Cannon."

"Are you serious mate? We're gonna fire at her?" Taco asked, looking at his captain.

"We have to damage her field enough to land a solid hit. She'll be able to fix herself easily, and as she does she'll have to focus her processing power onto that. It will allow us to get closer to her." He said.

"I think you lost your marbles captain." Nick muttered, leaning back in his seat. Serina was feverishly typing on her console, eyes on the monitors as she was increasing the energy output in the engines. The entire area started glowing a bright orange, sparks of green energy bouncing around her.

"Captain, I can't maintain these energy levels for long. We're almost at our degeneracy levels." She cried.

"Everyone, brace for impact. Fire when ready." Jonas said. Everyone clutched their seats tightly, as the vessel started opening up. The upper deck opened upward, while the sides opened up, revealing the large spinning cannon on the inside. It resembled a jet turbine, and was a large circular device, with smaller energy generators beside it. It sparked with glowing green energy, as a small ball started to form at its center. Shiki locked on target, a smirk on her face.

"Fire." she cried out, just as the energy reached its maximum output. The ship rocked to and fro as a large swirling beam of energy flew toward Shiretoko. The brown haired mental model swung her arms in front of her, increasing the layers of her Klein field, trying in vain to stop it from coming through. She grit her teeth, being unable to displace the energy fast enough. The green beam finally burst through the field, slamming into her upper deck, tearing into the wooden planks. Shiretoko did her best to stop herself from falling off her Conning tower as her upper deck burst into flames. The frames of several cranes split in half, falling into the ocean below her. Smoke started filling the air around her. She grit her teeth, aiming her emergency hoses at the flames.

"Rerouting Sea Water propulsion system to forward fire hoses, commencing repair of upper decks." She chanted angrily. Alarms filled her ears as she looked to her right, seeing her enemy flanking her from the side.

"I can't react fast enough. Firing all missile tubes." she cried out, only to see a flashing yellow sign in her line of sight. Her tubes were empty and due to her current repairs, she wouldn't be able to refill them, unless she turned her processing power toward that specific task. Maintaining the field, controlling the flames, refilling the tubes and making nanomaterial all at the same time was taking their toll on her, but she wasn't about to give up. She shut down the hoses, letting the flames roar to life once more as she proceeded to refill and fire her munitions. At least 50 torpedoes and missiles had been fired at the enemy ship.

"Feast on these Shimakaze. You aren't stopping me, not by a long shot." she shouted. The wind was whipping around her, making her hair move in all directions. She felt the cool breeze on her skin and heard the sound of her dress moving the wind. The smell of smoke filled her nose and the sounds of deploying missiles filled her ears. Her heart was thumping loudly, even though she knew for a fact she didn't have one. She didn't know why but she felt alive. This excitement, this fear of losing, it was so exhilarating.

"That's right Shimakaze, come this way. Let us dance." she said, letting out a laugh as she fired more missiles at the incoming ship.

"I have at least 135 contacts heading for us Captain." Chloe cried out.

"Klein field operations are at 85 percent, any more hits and we'll loose it." Miku said, feverishly typing on her laptop.

"We have the back up shield generator from Isuzu's hull, we'll activate it when Shimakaze's goes down. Fire automated canisters, Nick load all available tubes with everything we got and fire at will. Hard to Port, change our course to heading 312." he called out.

"Aye Aye captain." everyone cried out. Jonas tightened his grip on his chair as Shimakaze started turning about. The sounds of jettisoning missiles filled his ears, but his eyes never came off the screen. Isuzu had been monitoring his heart rate the entire time they had been on combat, and she had noticed that it had steadily risen and fallen. She could sense his adrenal glands producing massive amounts of adrenaline. What surprised her the most was the fact that in the center of his chest was a Union core, and his brain had two processors that worked in tandem with it. She wanted to ask him what that was about, but knew it wasn't the time. She had documented this for her personal files, now understanding what adrenaline was and how it worked in the human body.

He lived for this combat...she could see it on his face. This place, this time and this moment, it was all he lived for. He strives for battle and he strives for freedom. It was something that was hard to understand when it was coming from the other side. But now that she was with Shimakaze and her crew, she could understand it, the feeling of battle, of possibly loosing it all, even ones life...it was something momentous, something she didn't get before, and was having trouble understanding even now. Her processor was whirling trying to comprehend this new line of logical thought, but she knew it was something that she wouldn't understand for as long as she documented it.

The ship rocked a bit as some of the thanatonium charges hit the field. Shimakaze's field went down and when it did, she rose her hand up, covering the ship with her own field. Her golden field rapidly replaced the green one, protecting them once more.

"Klein field operating at 3 percent." She said, earning a nod from Jonas.

"Thanatonium warheads made impact. Shiretoko has been severely damaged and has begun taking in water." Chloe said.

"Ha, take that you big ass bitch. You ain't got shit on us." Nick cried out, flipping off the large resupply vessel.

"We're trying to capture her and get her to work for us yea? Why call her a bitch?" Taco asked.

"Shut it Aussie, you wouldn't understand."

"Guys, stop this at once, we are not out of the red yet." Miku snapped, making the two shut up.

"Shiki, proceed to make contact with her, you too Isuzu. Tell her to hand over her root access codes and we'll stop her from sinking."

"Roger." Shiki said, closing her eyes.

She found herself in another space all together. For as long as she had lived, she didn't know who created this place. It was in the shape of a pavilion, with a single table in the center of it. It was always a pale gray color, but anyone who was inside it always retained their natural look and color. She didn't know who created it, and it had been a mystery between the Fog, but it was the place they all came to have a little chat once in a while. She looked to her left, seeing Isuzu standing next to her, with a nod they walked forward, glancing at the brown haired girl who had their back turned to her.

"So, you don't have enough attacking me? Now you two have come to gloat about sinking me too eh? Man, when I tell the Flagship, she will have both your asses." She snapped.

"Sorry to say Shiretoko, but our Flagship Hyuuga is no longer in command. Didn't you hear? She was sunk by I-401 not that long ago." Isuzu said.

"Rumor has it, she defected to her side, and joined the Blue Steel fleet." Shiki continued. Shiretoko turned around, her eyes widened in shock.

"What?...No...Hyuuga wouldn't have done that...she couldn't have..."

"Well she did. We haven't confirmed it fully, but that's what the rumors say." Isuzu said. The girl balled her fist, gritting her teeth.

"It doesn't matter. It's not gonna stop me from sinking the both of you." she snapped.

"Hate to break it to ya sweetie, but Shiki here got way ahead of you. Sunk me two weeks ago near Taiwan. It sucks but I got used to it, besides I no longer bear the responsibility of being part of the fleet, I do what I want now." she said.

"Do what you...what are you saying? Do you even hear yourself speak? You were once the proud Heavy Light Cruiser Isuzu. The threat with the Float Planes, the ship that had one of the strongest gravity cannons around, the Isuzu I knew wouldn't side with traitors. She wouldn't abandon the code."

"You are right, the Isuzu you met wouldn't abandon the code. But that was the old me, this is the new me. I have evolved, I no longer need the Admirality code to dictate what I do. I am the Flight Deck manager of the Shimakaze. Part of her crew, part of her ship, and most importantly, part of her family. Don't you see, being alone here all your life just making nanomaterials and repairing other ships, not seeing the world, doing absolutely nothing but the same mundane thing over and over again, it's a sad existence. Come with us, we'll take you to land, teach you what we have learned. Even now, it's been two weeks and I have learned so much about myself that I wouldn't have learned on my own. Our captain is nice, our family is kind to us. Even though we are Fog, they treat us like humans." Isuzu said, clenching a hand over her chest.

"Even now, I can sense that you have turmoil within you. Those new emotions you felt during the battle, they are confusing you. They aren't part of your core and you are striving to understand them. We can teach you how to understand them, and you'll be part of our family." Shiki said. Shiretoko sighed, looking at the floor, her hair covering her eyes. She held her hands in front of her, looking at each slender finger, she felt her face, feeling the expression etched into it, and she felt her chest, feeling her core thumping a bit, replicating a human heart beat. After a few tense moments of silence, she finally spoke.

"You win...I'll hand over my root access codes...and...I'll join you."

Shiki blinked a bit, shaking her head. Isuzu and her shared a smile and looked at their captain.

"We talked her into joining us. I already locked all her weapons and functions, except the ones for self repair." Shiki said.

"Good work you two. I'm so proud of you both." Jonas said happily.

"Incoming message from Shiretoko...I'll put her through." Miku said, opening the link. It showed the image of the brunette they had just faced in battle, she looked worn, but rather happy.

"I just wanted to say...you all are good at battling. I didn't stand a chance...when I am finished repairing my damaged compartments, I will ready the mooring lines so you can dock with me." she said. The feed cut to black, and they were once again looking at the battle map.

"She's really cute." Nick said.

"Don't even think about it Nick, you can't hit on every pretty girl you see, you'll scare them all." Chloe said.

"I hit on you all the time, and you aren't scared."

"That's because I'm used to your perverted flirting." she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her head. Jonas shook his head.

"Damage report?"

"We took a few heavy hits to the Starboard side and the Stern when the field went down. Some of our sensors still haven't come back, and the Super Gravity cannon is currently nonfunctional." Shiki said.

"What are our munitions looking at Miku?" he asked, glancing at the violet haired girl who was already pulling everything up.

"After our battle with Shiretoko, and calculating what we have with what we had after resupplying in New Taipei, we are looking at 23 normal torpedoes, 15 thanatonium charges, 12 missiles, 4 countermeasure charges and 2 automatic missile pods. We also have 5 infrasonic missiles remaining." She said, cuing the list on the screen.

"Wow, we really went all out on this one didn't we?" Serina said.

"The captain did say fire all available ammunition. Just saying." Nick said, waving his hands in front of him. Jonas rolled his eyes.

"Message received, Shiretoko is opening her Dry dock for us. Preparing to shore up." Shiki said.

"Keep your senses sharp, just in case she plans to do anything." Jonas said.

"She wouldn't be able too, her weapons are locked. The only thing she could do was take us to a Flagship, and with our added weight she'd be moving slower than hell." Isuzu replied.

It wasn't long before Shimakaze's hull had slid into place within Shiretoko's dry dock. Thick glowing mooring lines tied themselves to special loops on Shimakaze's decks, anchoring her in place. The tops of the deck for Shiretoko's deck closed in, securing their hull. Once fully secured, Jonas and his crew headed to the deck, meeting with Shiretoko face to face. The brunette blushed a bit, looking at the floor while holding her hands behind her back rather nervously.

"Um...welcome aboard...it's the first time I've had humans on me so."

"Aw look at how cute she is. Just a second ago she was on killer mode and now shes on innocent girl mode. I can eat you up." Miku said, hugging the girl tightly. She groaned a bit, not used to the unfamiliar contact.

"Let her go Miku, you don't want to kill her with those tumors do you?" Serina cried out. A tick mark appeared on Miku's forehead, and she let Shiretoko go, facing the much shorter girl.

"Listen here you, just because you don't have world class breasts like mine doesn't mean you can insult me at every given time." she said.

"Heh, world class breasts? What exactly makes them world class? If anything, they'll serve as nothing more than a cause of pain in the future. Plus when you are forty, they'll sag and no man wants saggy breasts." She said, crossing her arms.

"Why you insufferable little imp. You are just jealous of me because you are flat as a board. I can wash clothes on those mosquito bites you call tits." Miku cried, making Serina gasp. The shorter girl broke into a sprint, tackling the taller girl to the ground. They let out a scream and started punching each other.

"Does this happen often?" Shiretoko asked, glancing at the two other mental models. Shiki nodded.

"More often than not. Serina just can't seem to upset that she'll never have perfect boobs." She said absentmindedly. Serina looked up, still holding a large amount of Miku's hair in her hand.

"What was that you blonde bimbo? Last I checked your tits are smaller than mine." she said.

"Actually, they are a little bigger than yours, but not as big as Miku's, and I accept that. Besides I can always reconstitute my mental model and give myself bigger breasts, but that would take a high amount of processing power that I can't bare to waste right now." she said, glancing at her green painted fingernails.

"High amount of processing power my ass. You don't use jack shit to maintain that mental model. Look at how you are dressed...I don't know how anyone can take you seriously when your ass is hanging out from under your tiny skirt." Serina said, letting go of Miku's hair and standing up.

"That may be, but I still have bigger boobs than you. And a rounder ass."

"That's enough girls. We are on a mission here after all, you can go back to your little quarrel on your own time. Now back to business...it's an honor to meet you Shiretoko..I am Jonas Rongil, Captain of the Shimakaze. This is my first mate Miku Yatogami, our Sonar, Radar and radio operator Chloe Genus, our Weapons and Armament manager, Nick McFay, our Countermeasures operator, Takarou Shouichi and our Engineer, Serina Arlington. Isuzu manages our Flight Deck, though we lack a float plane, she acts as Shiki's sub processor."

"I suppose its nice to meet you all. As you know my name is Shiretoko. You may call me Tohka if you want. May I inquire as to why you attacked me and sunk my entourage?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"We needed nanomaterials, so we decided to attack you since you are a resupply ship, who has the capabilities of making them from scratch." Jonas said.

"It was my idea." Isuzu said, puffing her chest proudly.

"Oh it was was it? I have the sudden urge to slap the two of you...but I shall refrain. If you need repairs then I will conduct them...as for afterwards...well...I can't go back to being in the Fleet of Fog, so I suppose I'll have to go with you all..to where ever it is you are going." she said.

"You wanna come with us?" Chloe asked curiously.

"It's not like I have a choice. Now that I made contact with humans, I'll probably get scuttled, and my core will go in for repairs. I don't want to forget who I am. So I will follow your orders, captain." She said, glancing at Jonas. He nodded, rubbing his chin in thought.

"For now, just assume repairs on our hull, seeing as it has the most damage. After that you can focus on Shimakaze's damages. When you are able, we will tow you to our home port in the Northern Mariana Archipelago. I think you'll fit there perfectly." he said.

"Uh...captain not to piss in your cornflakes or anything, but Rota Island is a deserted wasteland. There is nothing but trash there. Our home port is more of an eye sore than a home." Nick said.

"Yes, it is now. But Tohka here can craft nanomaterial, meaning she can make literally anything. We can make Rota Island our fortress against the Fog. And since she has the specifications for all of the ships she built, she has an array of weapon systems as well as thanatonium warheads. That and we can always salvage Theta and Beta and use their hulls for weapon systems." He said.

"I suppose that is true." the teen said.

"It would make me feel a little better knowing that Beta and Theta didn't die in vain. Maybe I can rescue their cores and make mental models for them, I could always use assistants." Tohka said.

"Excellent. I'll leave it to you then Tohka...lets all take a breather, Miku, Nick can I count on you to overlook repairs?" Jonas asked.

"Course boss, any time." Nick said, earning a similar look from Miku.

"Isuzu, I want you to take command of Tohka's vessel so you can run her protection systems. Shiki you go with Nick and Miku so they can overlook repairs."

"Understood."

"What will we do?" Serina asked, gesturing to herself, Chloe and Taco who looked at him expectantly.

"Take a breather. We're in Okinawa, near the shore no less. No one is going to attack us. You all worked hard today, no need to over do it."

"You are to carefree mate." Taco said.

"I'll say." Chloe muttered.

Jonas shook his head, he decided to go explore around the Shiretoko so he could familiarize himself with all of the equipment. It had been a good day for the Emerald Eagles, and hopefully it would remain that way for awhile. This boost in morale was just what everyone needed, and they got a new friend to boot. Things were beginning to fall into place, and soon they would have enough resources to cut through the Southern Pacific Fleet and cross into the Gulf of Mexico. All they needed was time.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello and welcome to Chapter 4 of Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Emerald Eagles. Last Chapter, Jonas and crew ended up battling and befriending the Resupply Vessel Shiretoko, along with Beta and Theta, the last two remaining Nagara vessels under her entourage. Thanks to this, the Green Fleet now has a means to resupply on nanomaterial and munitions, including entire ship hulls if needbe. Of course, Shiretoko, or Tohka as she prefers being called, will remain at the Emerald Eagle Home Port located in the Mariana Archipelago, their home base being Rota Island. But that doesn't mean she won't send them supplies. Now that she's free from the Fleet, she can do whatever she wants and explore the limits of her processing power. Something that will aid Jonas and his crew immensely.**

 **In this chapter, we get to see a little bit of what's going on back in Pearl Harbor. We also get to learn a bit about Jonas and his time on Hawaii as well as certain aspects, including the reason why he has a Fleet of Fog union core within his body. We will also get to see a friendly face near the end of the chapter. I hope you all are having a wonderful day, and if so please leave a review and a like, it lets me know how I am doing. Without further adoo, here is chapter 4...**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 4

Iwoto

A year and six months had passed since the day Jonas Rongil had left the Hawaiian Naval Academy in Oahu. He and his accomplices, Nicholas McFay, and Chloe Greene had a bounty on their head, their capture was all that the United States army in Hawaii seemed to care about, and no one knew the reason why. Admiral James Daniels III was one of the many few Naval Officers that had survived the Great Naval War of 2039, and had been given command of the Pearl Harbor Fleet, the remaining Eight battleships that survived, as well as the three they had managed to build with the little resources they had left on the island. They were kept in a secret dry dock underneath the island for maintenance and safe keeping, in case the Fog ever decided to attack. He didn't think much about the Naval Students who attended the academy, until those three left the island.

Three human beings, teenagers and barely adults, had traded their humanity and sided with the Fleet of Fog, their reason was unknown. Reports from Guam had added a fourth fugitive to their ranks, a young woman named Serina Arlington, an Engineering student in Guam's Engineering Academy for Girls. Apparently, Jonas Rongil and his crew had stopped in Guam for supplies and had picked her up there, her own father was the one that made the report. How someones daughter could disgrace their father was beyond him, it was something he couldn't understand, no...something he wasn't willing to understand. How was it that human beings would side with the enemy? What was their purpose? And why was the Government willing to fight tooth and nail to get them back?

This had been a question he had been asking himself for the past year and a half. What was so important about a group of kids and a Fog vessel? Yes, there was an underlying threat, that they would decide to attack humans for no absolute reason. But there was also a possibility that this was just what the world needed. Everyone feared the Fog, so if there was rumors of a Fog vessel with a human crew, then their fears would slowly start to vanish, but even then it would take a long time for that to happen.

Even worse, the only hope for humanity remained in Japan. Apparently, they had been designing a special warhead that would allow them to effectively combat against the Fog. It was supposed to be delivered in an unmanned SSTO, but once it had achieved lift off, it had been shot down and the only sample had been destroyed as well. With no other way to get the warhead to America, they were all at a stand still, and now he had decided to get some answers from the Governor of Hawaii. He knocked on the wooden doors, hearing a muffled reply from the other side. He stepped into the room, walking past the two suited men that served as his guards. He stood in front of the wooden desk, hand raised in salute.

"Mr. Governor Sir."

"Admiral...to what do I owe this visit?" Governor Osman H Hogarth said, turning his chair to face the man. He was a man in his sixties, with black graying hair. Though his expression made him look ten years older. He was wearing a navy blue suit, with a red tie. On his lapel was a small American Flag pin, and below it was a pin of a small pink flower.

"Mr. Governor, I came here to ask a few questions. I heard about the SSTO that was intercepted not long ago, and was wondering if any news had come in about a possible second mission?" he said. The man leaned back in his seat, taking a deep breath.

"I'm afraid no news has come in. It seems the Fleet of Fog have managed to cut down our little communications, so merely confirming Japan's Existence is impossible at this moment. For all we know, the Fog could have taken that rocket launch as a threat. We haven't received anything from New York either. I'm afraid we're on our own once more." the Governor said firmly. The Admiral sighed, rubbing his eyes. The stress of the situation was still getting to him, even after years of dealing with the current state of affairs. The topic of Jonas Rongil made the way to the forefront of his mind, and he finally got the courage to broach that topic.

"Mr. Governor, I have another serious question, and I hope you can answer me truthfully. What is the reason for branding Jonas Rongil, Nicholas McFay, Chloe Greene and Serina Arlington as Pirates? What is the reason for the capture of Jonas Rongil at all costs?" he asked. The governor narrowed his eyes, making the Admiral feel a bit nervous. Even with the tension in the room, he held his ground, not backing away from the topic at hand. The man nodded and leaned back in his seat.

"I was wondering when you would ask that. As a high ranking officer in the Navy and leader of the Fleet here in Pearl Harbor, you have a right to know...let's just say...Jonas Rongil is not what you would call...a normal teenager."

"Mr. Governor?" Admiral Daniels said, slightly confused by the statement.

"Do you remember that child that was found Seven years ago washed up on the shores of Oahu?"

"Of course I do, everyone thought it was a miracle that he had survived, but no news of him was ever mentioned again...you don't mean..Jonas Rongil is that boy."

"He is. You see, Jonas Rongil is the sole survivor of an experiment that was conducted here in Hawaii. Seven years ago, a Fleet of Fog Union core was recovered from a wreckage near Molokai Island. We tried to access the information on it, but the personality in it was quite strong, in the end, it purged all of its logs and information, effectively ending its existence to that its information could not be shared to humanity. We tried everything we could to make it work, and in the end we came up with a solution, if we could create a person capable of replicating the Fog's abilities, they could over take a Vessel and we could fight back against the fleet. And so, the Artificial Fleet of Fog, the Dark Haze project initiated. We rounded up all suitable candidates, between the ages of Six and Twenty One and started the experiments. Out of all 200 candidates, only one survived, Jonas Rongil, AKA USS Iowa. He is a human/mental model hybrid. His memories of his life here in Hawaii were fabricated in order to prevent him from activating to quickly. Though he has the body of a human, all of his functions are kept in check by the Union core in his chest. He was also fitted with two processors created from information salvaged from the Union core, to strengthen his intelligence and allow for better tactics while out at sea. He spent six years in a laboratory, learning everything he could about Naval combat, but it was all replaced with memories of him learning it all at Naval Academy. During his final year, he was to make interactions with humans so he could act and behave like them, in order to fool the Fog into thinking he was a human."

Daniels couldn't believe what he was hearing. The United States government had been...experimenting on humans? Not just that, they had taken an innocent child and practically rewritten his entire life and existence just so that they stood a chance against the Fog. That young man, his entire life was a fabricated lie. And the reason why they wanted him at all costs was so that they could protect their investment, their little weapon. He shook everything off and looked at the Governor.

"Alright, what about the vessel?"

"Oh, you mean the Iowa? She is being kept in a secret hanger underneath Pearl Harbor. The USS Iowa was created from the Union Core's encrypted files. The original ship it had belonged to was an Iowa class Fast Battleship of the First American Fleet of Fog. It struck a reef and her hull was breached, we were able to recover the core before her fleet came to pick her up. She was a persistent one, but we were able to override her personality once she purged her logs. Currently, the Iowa sits with her full armament, 9 × 16-inch (406mm)/50cal. Mark 7 guns

20 × 5-inch (127mm)/38cal. Mark 12 guns

80 × 40mm/56cal. Bofors

49 × 20mm/70cal. Oerlikon

32 × BGM-109 Tomahawk

16 × RGM-84 Harpoon

4 × 20mm (.78inch).Phalanx CIWS

15 x Photon Cannons

74 x Missile tubes

3 x SC Seahawk Float Planes, each carrying two bombs and 50 caliber machine guns. Both the Iowa and the Planes can generate their own Wave force armor, which is quite powerful might I add. This Fog rendition of the Iowa is more powerful then our man made one ever was."

"M-may I see it?" Daniels asked. The Governor smirked.

"Of course."

Admiral Daniels, along with Governor Hogarth were headed to the secret underground dock underneath Pearl Harbor. He hated to admit it, but he was impressed with everything he had seen. He wasn't even aware of all of this that was happening literally under his nose. They finally reached a set of iron doors, which opened automatically. The walked down a metal platform, which lead deeper into the dry dock. The lights turned on, and they all stopped around the center of the platform. Admiral Daniels couldn't believe what he was seeing. His jaw dropped and he felt like he was about to faint.

In front of him, on a special platform sat the USS Iowa, or the Fog rendition of it. It was far larger than he imagined it to be. He was expecting something else, not what he was seeing. The Governor clapped his shoulder.

"Now do you understand why it is imperative that we capture Jonas Rongil alive? This is what we have worked so hard for, this is the last thing the United States of America has left, our trump card against the Fleet of Fog."

"I personally know Jonas Rongil, he was a model student in my Academy. And he has a great mind, even came up with tracers that would remotely lock a Fog vessels weapons. No doubt a subconscious action done by his Union core. Do you actually think he will come back willingly?" he asked.

"Of course not, he'll fight, but he won't know anything until its too late. After we have him back in our hands, we'll wipe his memories and rewrite new ones in their place. Memories of him being part of the Navy his entire time. That's when the USS Iowa will finally be ready for launch." he said firmly.

"What about New York? Does the President know of this?" he asked, earning a chuckle from the man.

"Of course not. If the President had knowledge of this, she would shut this down in a heartbeat. Of course, there isn't nearly anything the continental United States can do about it. We have to fight for our survival now Admiral, we are the last ones capable of defending the great state of Hawaii. Even if it means using experimentation against our fellow humans." the Governor replied, earning a nod from the admiral.

" _Yeah...but is this truly right? This kid has already had his memories tampered with once..having them wiped again? That's going against humanity. Ironically speaking, Jonas Rongil himself has already gone against humanity by joining the Fog. Perhaps him leaving was for the best."_

"Would you like a tour? After all, you were going to be named Captain of the Iowa on its launch day. I can show you everything you want." the Governor said.

"I'd like that, thank you."

" _Good luck Jonas, you are gonna need it."_

xxx

"Achoo." Jonas sneezed, for the umpteenth time. He wiped his nose with a tissue, tossing it in the trash can beside him.

"Something wrong Jonas? You've been sneezing a lot lately." Isuzu said, glancing at her captain. He shook his head, brushing some hair out of his eyes.

"I'm fine. I think someone is talking about me." he said. She tilted her head.

"I don't follow." she said.

"Well it's like this. There's this thing humans say about sneezing...when someone is talking about you, whether it's good or bad, the person in question will sneeze. It's obviously not true, but you never know." he said with a shrug. Isuzu nodded, opening her specs window. She decided to catalog that particular theory into her data banks. Once done, she glanced back at their new plane.

Thanks to Tohka's agreement to join their fleet, they had been able to resupply quite a lot of things, including three planes, two of which were currently in pod form for travel purposes. They had agreed on forming a SC Sea Hawk, as it was the plane that Isuzu had been equipped to carry. For some reason, they had an American designed plane on a Japanese Heavy Cruiser, it made no sense to him but he wasn't about to argue that fact. All operation systems had checked out and the plane was ready for it's first flight. She let out a sigh, closing her specs, leaning back against the side of the plane. She looked around, most of the crew was out on the boat deck, enjoying the breeze as they were sailing around the ocean. They hadn't detected any Fog activity for a while so they all felt like taking a breather. Shiki was sitting with Chloe and Miku, lost in avid conversation about one thing or another. Serina was on top of one of the Photon cannons. She said it was the perfect time to work on her tan and had since then stayed up there. She was wearing a lime green bikini, along with a pair of black aviator glasses. Even for her short stature, she knew how to wear it.

Nick and Taco had set up a pool table near the Conning Tower and had been playing several games, trying to beat each other as many times as they could, while throwing insults at each other every chance they got. Tohka had remained in what was now New Rota Island, since she along with the recovered Beta and Theta had started working on building an actual home port. Since she could build nanomaterials, she had been able to design and build many buildings, including a large dry dock and an underground base of operations. She had also equipped the nearby Wedding Cake Mountain with a wave force generator which would activate upon detection of thanatonium readings. The entire perimeter of the island had also been fitted with missile launchers from the hulls of both the Nagara class vessels, and would serve as a modest and threatening defense system. She had also created a small runway where a few Sea Planes were, ready to take flight. She had truly out done herself, now that she had the creative freedom to build anything she wanted.

Beta and Theta, now having their own mental models, acted as her assistants. They had taken the forms of twin girls, around the age of fourteen, with long red hair tied in ponytails, one with a white ribbon and one with a black ribbon. Theta decided to wear a black shirt, with tight fitting short shorts and matching red heels, while her sister Beta wore a white shirt, with a short blue skirt and red matching heels. Both of them had white irises, and Beta had a beauty mark underneath her left eye. Even with all their differences, it was still hard to tell them apart. Since their mental models ran on 2 percent of Tohka's processing power, they weren't really allowed to choose what they looked like, for favor of making it easy to maintain. Since they were the same class ship, they had decided on twins. It was easier on everyone. They helped maintain the Klein fields for the island, as well as the sensors that surveyed the entire island. Tohka was at least glad she wasn't going to be alone while being their Harbor master.

They were currently steaming due north with no set course. They were just sailing around, enjoying the beautiful clear skies. Jonas finally finished his final preparations, closing his tablet. He glanced at Isuzu who was leaning against the Sea Hawk, her eyes closed. She had taken her hair out of its ties, letting it fall down her shoulders. It seemed as if she was finally comfortable around them. He smiled and lay down on the deck, hands behind his head.

"Maybe we can finally relax for a while." he muttered, a smile on his face.

"Captain, we're nearing the Iwoto Islands, should I swing around and start heading back south?" Shiki asked.

"If you wish, I don't mind what you do Shiki." he said, letting out a slight yawn.

"Alright, I'll swing around Central Iwoto Island and head back down toward the Southern Pacific." She replied, changing her course. She blew her fog horn loudly, earning surprised cries from Serina and Miku, who weren't expecting it. Serina almost fell from the Photon Cannon, she had an angry look on her face.

"Mind not blowing that damn horn when someone is asleep?" she snapped.

"I didn't know you were asleep, besides it's high time you get down from that cannon. You look like a hot dog." Shiki called back. Nick started laughing, pointing at the sky blue haired girl who was slightly sunburned. She looked at her own skin, letting out a scream of shock and pain.

"Why the fuck didn't anyone tell me this?" She shouted.

"It's not like we could have seen you from where you were at sweetheart, serves you right." Miku said.

"Grr, I ought to kick your ass you fuckin cow." Serina shouted. Jonas groaned.

"And here I thought we could finally get some rest, but all I have to deal with is a bunch of immature little girls." he said.

"Maybe you should leave them on a sandbar so they can work out their problems?" Isuzu suggested, earning a curious look from her captain.

"That's not such a bad idea Isuzu. I think it would do wonders for both of them." he said.

"Isuzu, you will pay for this you bitch." Serina cried, clenching her fist. Isuzu was about to retaliate, when suddenly she picked up the sounds of incoming missiles. She opened her specs, eyes widening.

"Thanatonium charges flying dead at us, at least 34...45 contacts. The first seven will make impact in ten seconds." She cried. Jonas rapidly stood up, looking at his crew.

"All hands to stations, get ready for combat. Isuzu activate your Klein field to block the incoming barrage. Shiki I want you to figure out where the attacks are coming from." he said. Everyone nodded and broke off, heading to their respective stations. Isuzu rose her hands and expanded her specs, the Shimakaze was covered in a glittering golden field, just as the first few warheads made contact. She groaned a bit and increased the output.

"I won't be able to hold it for long." She said.

"Jonas, the attacks are coming from Central Iwoto Islands. The signature isn't clear yet, but with the high speed projectiles, I can surely say that its a Fast Battleship Class vessel." Shiki said.

"Who manages the Fleets up here?" he asked.

"That depends, if you are talking about our old fleet, then that would be Hyuuga, but she was sunk by I-401. Whoever took command of the Fleet may be the one who's firing. However there is the Second Oriental Fleet to consider. If its them, then it could possibly be the Fast Battleship Kongo. Let's hope it isn't." Isuzu said firmly.

"Jonas, several more warheads are coming at us. 145 total, in varying degrees." Shiki said.

"Hard to Starboard, flood tubes 1-8 and, fire all missiles. Launch the active auto missile launchers and countermeasure charges." he called out. She nodded, relaying the message to the bridge as they were quickly moving toward it. The ship rocked to the side, making the three slam into the side wall. Jonas groaned a bit, feeling dizzy from the hit he took. He felt himself being pulled and saw that it was Isuzu who was pulling him. Once at the bridge, the black haired mental model lead him to his seat, before taking her spot in the center of the room, with Shiki sitting behind her.

"Chloe, have you gotten the call sign yet?" He asked.

"Not yet, it seems whoever is firing at us is hiding their echo rather well. It's nonexistent." she said.

"What are the odds mate? We gonna sink or nah?" Taco asked.

"No, while there is a chance we may suffer heavy damage. We don't know for certain that we'll lose, especially without seeing the enemy first. I'm not letting my ship suffer through that, Serina increase the energy capacity and prepare for full burst mode." he said.

"Full burst mode, what are you planning?" She asked, rapidly typing into her console.

"We aren't that far from the island itself, the battleship that's stationed there won't be expecting us to come in guns blazing." he said with a smirk.

"So you plan to just mow through her hull?" Nick asked. Clearly shocked by what his captain was suggesting.

"Tohka worked so hard on reinforcing our outer hull. It would be a shame if we didn't at least test the durability." He answered back.

"Jesus, Mary mother of shit, we're royally fucked now."

"Trust your captain Nick. Jeez, it's like you doubt everything he calls out." Miku snapped.

"Hey, I'm just trying not to die, you feel me?"

"Oh I feel you alright."

"Full burst mode will engage in 300 seconds." Serina cried out.

"More missiles coming at us, I detect fourteen thanatonium charges." Chloe cried out.

"Shit, Isuzu how is your field holding up?" he asked.

"Klein field working at 65%. We have a 45% window." She said.

"Taco, the moment the field goes down, launch the Klein Generators. They'll hold up in time for us to use full burst mode." he said.

"Roger mate." the dark skinned teen replied, loading the forward tubes with the specified charges. For now they would just wait until the charges finished making contact.

"90 seconds until the Klein field is down." Isuzu cried.

"Serina how are we looking back there?" Jonas cried out.

"199 seconds until full burst mode is ready." she replied.

"Damn it. Shiki, reroute all unneeded power to lowering that counter." Jonas said. She nodded, expanding her specs a bit. A large screen opened up in front of her, showing her different sectors of the ship. She shut down all of the unneeded electronics in several compartments, sending that energy toward the engine room.

"Count down lowered to 92 seconds." Serina called out.

"The Klein field is down captain."

"Launch the generators." he called out. Taco nodded, launching the Klein field generators. The green charges burst out of the water, forming a cube around Shimakaze before activating, boxing it into a small field.

"Active Generators will reach saturation in two minutes." Taco said.

"Full burst mode T-minus 23 seconds."

"Alright guys, brace yourselves. We've never used full burst mode, but I'm assuming it's like being on a roller coaster. Sit still and don't move, or else the change in speed and pressure will make you all sick. Serina, get to your emergency station." he called out.

"Understood." she cried, ending the call. She typed in one final algorithm before leaving the engine room, heading into the emergency chamber and strapping herself into the seat.

"Full burst mode ready in Five..four...three..two...one...standby." Shiki said.

"Punch it." Jonas cried.

The propeller tubes opened up, the propellers glowing a bright green. The energy finally burst through them, launching the vessel forward. Everyone let out a surprised scream, not being used to the sudden high speed the ship had taken. They burst through the Klein field, detonating the generators as they moved. Jonas looked at the map, seeing the green blinking dot that symbolized them heading toward Iwoto at a fast rate. They must have reached 120 knots just from that one burst.

"Passive radio signal confirmed. Unknown battleship identification confirmed to be the Fast Battleship Hyuuga." Chloe called out. Jonas's eyes widened and he looked at Shiki.

"Cut the engines." he said.

"Cutting the engines." she said, the sudden stop launched everyone forward, luckily they had all been wearing seat belts, all except for Isuzu who ended up flying into Nick's lap.

"Is everybody alright?" Miku asked, feeling a bit sick.

"I'm more than alright." Nick replied, wiggling his eyebrows. Isuzu let out a disgusted growl and slapped the teen across the face, jumping out of his lap, she walked away nose held high as Taco laughed at his misfortune.

"Shiki, Isuzu make contact with Hyuuga. Ask her why she is attacking us." He said.

"Understood." Shiki said.

Shiki blinked a few times, shaking her head as she was once again in the gray pavilion. Isuzu stood next to her, eyeing the place closely.

"This place feels a little different you know?" she said.

"I sense it too, but I can't quite place it."

The two girls walked forward, reaching the wire table, where three steaming cups of tea sat. They shared a look before sitting down, taking a hold of the cups. Isuzu took a sip from it, brows furrowing a bit.

"I've never had something like this before and yet...it tastes familiar." She said.

"It's called tea. We bought some in India a while back, but I think Chloe drank it all." Shiki said.

" _So, the intruders onto my island were actually two of my old subordinates. Come to take me back to the fleet eh?"_

The two mental models looked up, seeing a mechanical looking egg like device. It had an octagonal face plate on it, with an eight bit face on it. Shiki tilted her head.

"Flagship Hyuuga?" she asked curiously. The egg suddenly burst open, and a tall brown haired woman came out. Her long brown hair fell onto her shoulders, curling inwards. She was wearing a bright orange turtle neck sweater, along with a matching black skirt. She wore see through black stockings, with frilled garters at the top, and brown heels. She wore a white lab coat, her hands stuffed into its large pockets. A gold brimmed monocle sat on her right eye. She had a catty grin on her face.

"Like what you see?" she asked.

"What drove you to make a mental model now of all times? And why are you here in Iwoto? Weren't you sunk by I-401?" Shiki asked.

"Rapid fire questions? Not even a hello Hyuuga, how are you doing?" the woman asked, brow raised. Isuzu sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Hello Hyuuga, how are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm doing great thank you for asking. To answer your questions, yes I was sunk by Sister Iona not that long ago. It was such a euphoric sensation, being sunk by a ship that was severely outclassed by me. The feeling of her thanatonium charges as they penetrated my hull, it was just all so wonderful." she said happily, a bit of drool running down the corner of her mouth.

"Uh..."

"Who is sister Iona?" Shiki said, ignoring the weird look on Isuzu's face. Hyuuga straightened up, regaining her stoic look.

"Sister Iona is the mental model of the I-401. Her captain is a young man named Chihaya Gunzou, leader of the Blue Steel Fleet." She said firmly, though she was a bit defensive.

"Wow, so we really aren't the only ship with a human crew. That's kind of a shame." Isuzu said.

"The novelty will wear off in a while. Just you wait and see...besides they're not exactly a fleet, since it's only one ship and Hyuuga is here on Iwoto." Shiki said.

"We're not a fleet either. We're on your hull...Tohka, Beta and Theta stayed back at the home port." she said.

"Wait a minute...do you mean to tell me that you guys have a human crew?" Hyuuga said.

"Yes, we have a human crew...our captain told us to make contact with you." Shiki said. Hyuuga nodded, humming to herself in thought.

"Really? How interesting...would you like to enter our dry dock? I'm sure my captain wouldn't mind. You two aren't associated with the Fleet right?"

"Not at all, we defected from it, and I doubt we'll ever return." Isuzu said.

"Alright then. Proceed to the Eastern Part of the Island, into dry dock two, the automatic system will draw you in." she said.

"What happened?" Jonas asked, as Shiki regained her senses. She gave him a smile.

"Hyuuga is letting us use Blue Steel's dry dock." she said.

"Blue Steel? You mean that other Fleet that has a human crew?" Nick asked.

"That's the one. Following coordinates to enter Iwoto Dry dock." Shiki said, slowly shifting her course toward the Eastern part of the island.

"I swear we better not get shot." Nick muttered.

"What is with you thinking everyone will shoot us?" Chloe asked.

"Guam?" he asked.

"That was a stupid mistake." She countered.

"A rookie mistake, one we won't make anymore." Taco reassured.

After several minutes, Shimakaze's hull had entered the Iwoto Dry dock. Once the mooring arms had the ship firmly locked in place, the automated bridges were lowered, allowing the crew to come ashore. Jonas looked around, seeing the large underground facility that had been made in the island. He also saw the Blue Steel insignia on several large crates. They came to a stop when a large white egg appeared before them.

"Sorry for launching that attack at you all. It was just a precaution, you can never be too safe you know. Who among you is captain?" the egg asked. Jonas stepped forward, standing straight and firm before the device.

"My name is Jonas Rongil, captain of the Emerald Eagle Fleet. Are you the Fast Battleship Hyuuga?" he asked. The egg opened up, allowing the mental model to step outside. She stood in front of Jonas, giving him a formal bow.

"I am...welcome to Blue Steel's home port here in Iwoto." she said. He held his hand out, making her tilt her head in confusion.

"It's a handshake. A symbol of friendship." Shiki said.

"Oh...that's right...I knew that." Hyuuga said, tightly clasping his hand. He had to admit, she had a firm grip.

"So this is the legendary Blue Steel's home base eh? I heard rumors, but I wasn't sure if they were true or not. It's good to know they are...and before we continue further, I'd like for you to know that we are not enemies. We're just a bunch of misfits who want to find our place in the world. Most of us want to go home while others wanted nothing more than to see the world, but apparently..to some...we are nothing more than a threat filled to the brim with state secrets." he said.

"Ah...you guys are American." Hyuuga said, nodding in confirmation.

"Actually, I'm from Australia love. But I've been hanging around these oddballs for so long, I'm practically one of em." Taco said.

"Bullshit." Nick muttered.

"Oi oi, say that to my face yea? I'll feed ya to the gators."

"Guys, we're in the presence of someone very important, will you show some respect?" Miku snapped, firmly shutting them up.

"Wait a minute...I just realized something. Iwoto is part of Japan, meaning that anyone around this area would speak fluent Japanese, how come you are speaking English Hyuuga?" Serina asked curiously.

"You are a very perceptive young lady. As a vessel of the Fog, we are programmed with a wide array of languages for any set of events. It would make it easier to speak with other fleets more effectively. That's why I can speak with the American Fleet and have them understand me. My Captain and crew however all speak Japanese, so if you ever meet up, it's going to be a difficult time for all of us." she said.

"Anyway, Hyuuga...what is the reason you have called us here? Surely you wouldn't want an unknown fleet in your home port?" Jonas said.

"I wish to know you better, and understand your reasoning behind allying with Shimakaze. She used to be one of my subordinate ships, along with Isuzu. Both of you defected from the Fog, and I actually wanted to speak to Shimakaze myself, seeing as she was gone for a year before I was...prematurely removed from command." she said.

"She means sunken right?" Nick said.

"Be more sensitive retard." Serina said, noticing Hyuuga's saddened look. She quickly perked up, sparkles in her eyes.

"It doesn't matter, words are nothing after all. I am happy Sister Iona sunk me, I wouldn't be able to spend more time and share my love with her if I were still a Flagship." she cried out happily, shaking a bit with excitement.

"I suppose if it's a story you want, we do have the time. Will your captain be showing up anytime soon? I'd like to meet him."

"Chihaya Gunzou is currently heading toward Yokosuka on a mission from the Japanese Government. I received a signal three hours ago that they were about to intercept the Heavy Cruiser Takao on their way there. They'll be using that Typhoon as cover." she said.

"Oh yeah, that Typhoon we sailed under three hours ago, fun times. Really fun times." Nick said, remembering how soaked he got during that storm.

"That's a shame. Alright everyone, it seems we'll be staying here for a bit so rest up and relax. Isuzu and Miku, I want you to calculate the damage we took, Nick you and Taco are on weapons detail, Serina you are with me and Shiki." he said. They all gave a salute before breaking off to do their given tasks, with Serina falling into pace with him, Shiki and Hyuuga.

"We have plenty of space here, so you may stay in the Guest rooms. Now, would you mind if I scan you? I like to document every human I meet." Hyuuga said.

"Why?" Serina asked, clearly unnerved by the statement.

"Human beings aren't the same. Just like we of the Fog are in different classes, humans are also in different classes. Every human is unique, and I want to know what makes Jonas Rongil unique. I'd like it if you allowed me to do the same Serina Arlington." the brunette said, getting a mumble from the sky blue haired girl.

"If you wish." she said.

"Perfect, I shall start with the captain first." Hyuuga said, opening her specs, she focused her sensors on Jonas, scanning his entire body. Her eyes widened a bit when she detected the Union core within his body. Shiki grit her teeth.

"Oh my...Jonas did you know..."

"Hey Hyuuga, would you mind showing us all the other facilities? I'm curious to see how you've adapted this island." She suddenly said.

"I'll show you around in a minute. This is rather important, I'm assuming you already know this and are trying to deviate from the current topic." the brunette said.

"Is something wrong?" Jonas asked. Serina was also curious, seeing the nervous look on Shiki made her wonder what the girl was trying so hard to hide.

"Hyuuga, I promised myself not to tell him until the time was right. I wanted to find more information first." Shiki said.

"I commend that, but it's better to tell him now than later, the earlier the better in this situation."

"Will you two fucking spit it out already? This is my captain we're talking about, so stop beating around the bush, unless you want me to beat you." Serina shouted, grabbing a handful of Hyuuga's sweater. The woman rose a brow, slightly amused by the turn of events.

"Serina, calm down. We are guests here, we can't just beat up the Harbor Master now can we?" Jonas asked. The girl let go, turning around and crossing her arms.

"I apologize, she has a bit of an anger problem."

"It's quite alright. After dealing with Takao for a while, you tend to get used to it. Anyway, back to the topic at hand...I'm not sure if you know this or not but...maybe you should sit down for this."

"I assure you, whatever you need to tell me I can handle it." he replied.

"Alright then...Jonas Rongil, where were you born?" she asked.

"Orlando, Florida."

"We met in Hawaii a year and a half ago." Shiki said.

"And how exactly did you get to Hawaii? Especially with the Fleets cutting off all maritime commerce?" Hyuuga asked.

"I don't know...when I was seven I was crossing the Intercontinental Bridge from Alaska into Russia, the Fleet of Fog stationed in the Bering Straight decided to attack, severing the bridge. One of the Light Cruisers fired at me, that's all I remember after that. I woke up in Hawaii not long after. Even I don't know how I got there, maybe a Fog ship carried me there without knowing?" he asked.

"I doubt it. Regardless, it seems that someone has...made some modifications to your body. Jonas...you aren't entirely human." Hyuuga said.

"Excuse me?" Serina cried out, clearly confused.

"When I scanned your DNA and body structure into my data base, I picked up the unique signal of a Fleet of Fog Union core. It's been implanted into the center of your chest and it seems as if its keeping your body alive. You also seem to have two processors inserted into your brain which work in tandem with the core. You have the characteristics of a mental model, but are entirely human. I could go as far as calling you a hybrid of the two." She said.

Jonas remained silent, lost in thought. He supposed it all made sense, the way he could make split second decisions when fighting, the way he could make plans for various scenarios. How he could retain a lot of information in his brain...it all made sense. Even for trivial things like languages and skills such as swimming, were things that he excelled in. He looked at Hyuuga, a curious look on his face.

"If I am indeed a Fleet of Fog Mental model, then how come I can't pull up my specs?" he said.

"I'm not sure. It could be that the core wasn't probably activated, or that its running at only 1-3 percent of its power. If that's the case, then all you need is to make contact with a Flagship Class vessel in order to activate it. I could activate it for you if you wish, but it may be a bit of a shock to you at first, you might even pass out. In fact, I believe this core is keeping you alive, almost like an artificial heart, that might be a reason why it isn't active." She said. Serina glanced at the brown haired woman before glancing back at her captain.

"How can you be taking this so well Jonas? You were just told you weren't fully human? That a core from the Fog is keeping you alive. Shouldn't you be I dunno, flipping shit?" Serina asked.

"Why bother flipping shit over it when you can easily accept it. It's better that way. Sure I have tons of questions about who did this to me, and I can only surmise it was those bastards that run Pearl Harbor's Naval Academy, they are the only ones who have the funding to do something like that. Besides, the way Hyuuga explained it to me makes it sound really cool. I probably have my own Ship somewhere too." he said, rather excited.

"You most likely do. I detect the call sign for an Iowa class battleship...I think your core was that of the vessel USS Iowa, who went missing shortly after the Fleet of Fog stopped global maritime commerce." She said.

"Interesting."

"Well...if you want me to activate your core, I could do so now, but as I said before, you may pass out from it. The sudden burst in energy may also feel a bit weird at first. Your body will most likely try to adapt to it, so you'll need to be monitored closely." she said.

"Hmm...while it sounds like something I would like to do...I believe now isn't a good time for me to have this activated. If you detect that call sign, then that means other Fog ships can pick up on it as well, that would paint an even bigger target on my back and put my ship and crew in danger. I'll hold off for now." Jonas said, earning a nod from Hyuuga.

"If you say so, when you do wish to have it activated, I would be more than happy to help you. Now, Serina if you don't mind I'll get started on your body scan." she said, turning to the sky blue haired girl, who just huffed, looking away in disdain. Before she started, Hyuuga received an incoming message, the pop up opening right in front of the three.

"Excuse me for a bit, it seems Sister Iona is sending me some information." she said.

"You can take that message if you'd like, we'll wait by the dock. I think Miku should be done with her calculations." he said. The woman gave them a nod and walked off, allowing the three to return to their ship.

"Man, I still can't believe you have a Union Core inside you...are you gonna tell the others?" Serina asked curiously. Jonas shook his head.

"Not at this moment. I will find a right time to let them know of this, so for now just keep it secret. We have a hard enough time dealing with the Fleet of Fog." he said.

"Captain, me and Isuzu finished the calculations. We took a couple hits to the starboard side and lost several sensors. We used 30 regular warheads before engaging Full Burst Mode. Isuzu also has to expel the absorbed energy soon or else she might collapse." Miku said said, handing him her tablet. He nodded, looking over everything.

"Alright Isuzu, you can go ahead and expel that extra energy, but it will have to be after we leave, how long can you hold it?" he asked.

"Two hours at most, I'll ask Flagship Hyuuga for a place to vent it." Isuzu said.

"Isuzu, I am not your flagship anymore so please, just refer to me as Hyuuga. In any case, I fear you cannot stay here much longer. My captain and crewmates are in a bind right now. They are unable to engage Takao head on without her finding out their location. I must ask you to back them up, if only for a little while."

"Can't the 401 handle herself? She took down several vessels already." Nick said, crossing his arms.

"Yes, but she is just a surveillance submarine. While she's well equipped, she will have trouble with a Heavy Cruiser like Takao. Hyuuga has been kind enough to let us rest here for a bit so I will return the favor. After we repair our sensors, we will head toward the 401's last location as fast we can." Jonas said.

"I shall take care of it, we don't have much nanomaterial left, but I can fix your sensors to a certain degree, if you allow me." Hyuuga said, giving them all a bow. Shiki blushed a bit, shaking her head.

"No no, we can't impose anymore than we already have. Isuzu, dismantle one of the float plane pods and give the nanomaterial to Hyuuga, we shall use that to repair our sensors." the blonde mental model nodded. Isuzu opened up her specs, focusing on finding the storage of the float plane pods. One of the missile tubes on the starboard deck opened and a single missile was drawn out, instantly turning into active nanomaterial. Hyuuga then took over, the particles glowing a bright orange as she started their repairs.

"So boss, what's the plan for handling Takao? She's a Heavy Cruiser so we might need a little oomph to take care of her." Chloe asked. Jonas hummed to himself, looking at Nick.

"Can you give us a general description? What we might be expecting?" he asked. He nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket. A few seconds passed before he pulled up a holographic display, with the image of a Fleet of Fog heavy cruiser. He had to thank Tohka for that one later.

"Fleet of Fog Heavy Cruisers usually don't go above a specified gross tonnage. Her length is 203.76 meters, her beam is 20.73 meters, and her draft is 9.23 meters. Her displacement is 13,460 gross tons. Her mental model should be a single core G-1 (Otome Plug-in). Her propulsion system should be the normal, Graviton Engine Type: S x102 and her speed is 90 knots above water, 40 knots submerged. Her wave force armor is also quite strong. As for her armament, well I'm sure Isuzu has more information on that then I do." Nick said.

"She has the standard armament for a Heavy Cruiser, 128 missile launchers on her deck, 12 on her bow and 8 on her sides below the water line. She has several photon cannons, thanatonium charges, regular warheads, nukes and the most dangerous weapon, the Super Gravity Cannon. Thankfully, due to her processing power she'd only be able to use it once before reaching her limit. So if I-401 can get her to fire it, we could remotely lock her weapons and force her to the outer seas." Isuzu said, focusing on guiding the last of the nanomaterial to Hyuuga.

"Why would we do that?" Taco asked curiously. Everyone looked to Jonas who had a pensive look on his face. Looking at his crew, he finally decided to speak.

"Alright, I see what Isuzu was getting at. There's no reason to sink Takao if she isn't an immediate danger to us. All we have to do is make sure the I-401 makes port in Yokosuka with out her on their tail. If we can, we can try to convince Takao to join us." He said.

"Seriously? This guy is something else." Nick said, a chuckle escaping his lips. Chloe giggled, tugging at her ponytail.

"That's our captain for ya. He'd rather befriend the one pointing her rockets at him than sink her."

"If you wish to befriend Takao, then I wish you luck. She's a tough cookie to crack, especially because she let's her ego do the talking. She's what you humans would call a tsundere." Hyuuga said. She closed up her specs giving them a nod.

"You're sensors have been fully repaired. I have already sent Shiki the coordinates for Sister Iona's last location. You should make it there in three hours, if you don't run into any trouble at least." She said.

"We'll border the Typhoon and try to stay out of Takao's range of detection. Let I-401's crew know we're on our way and that we're friendlies, if you can, have Iona contact Shiki. Alright, all hands to station, get ready to launch!" Jonas called out. Everyone nodded and started making their way onto the ship.

"One last thing, are you sure you don't want to activate that now?" Hyuuga asked, earning a nod from Jonas.

"I don't..when the time is right, I will make arrangements. Until then, take care of yourself Hyuuga, we won't let anything happen to your friends, thanks a lot for your hospitality." Jonas said, giving her a polite bow. The woman beamed, giving him a catty grin.

"Anytime, I believe you an I will become very close friends, Captain." she said. He gave her a nod and gestured for Shiki to board the ship. Once they were on the bridge, everyone took their seats. The doors to the dock opened up, and the mooring arms finally let go of the Shimakaze.

"Okay, set course for I-401's last location. Chloe I want you to keep an eye and ear on the sonar, we don't need another ship sneaking up on us. Taco ready the countermeasures just in case we need them. Nick load all the forward missile tubes 1-28 with warheads."

"Aye Captain!" the cried out. He glanced at the screen, looking right at Serina's image.

"Seri, start us out a half speed, once we clear Iwoto's border shift it to full speed."

"Roger, and don't call me that!" the girl snapped angrily, typing various commands onto her panel. The ship jerked forward, slowly pulling out of the Blue Steel home port. Once they were outside, they picked up a bit of speed, moving at half speed.

"Jonas, are we going to escort I-401 all the way to Yokosuka?" Shiki asked curiously, glancing at her specs. Isuzu was keeping an eye on her own, in case something came up. He gave them a nod.

"I want to get to know them, and befriend them Shiki. It would be in our best interest to make friends with another ship who has a human crew. After all, we could end up helping each other should we truly need it. Besides, if they are on a Fog ship like we are, there's a chance they were branded Pirates too. In which case, I'll need Miku and Taco to be careful, they don't know what either of you look like so it could work in our favor should we need to disembark." Jonas said.

"You are lucky I am fluent in Japanese, Mister. Thankfully, there shouldn't be an issue if we stay outside of Yokosuka's outer wall." Miku added.

"Captain, we've cleared the Iwoto Island border." Shiki said. Jonas gave her a nod.

"Alright, Full Speed ahead. Let us not waste a single precious second. Another second we waste is a second they could be in trouble!"

"Aye Aye, Full Speed Ahead!" Shiki cried out, pumping her fist above her head. They all let out a surprised yelp as the ship gained speed. Jonas chuckled. He could never get used to that reaction.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to chapter five of Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Emerald Fleet. I've been working rather hard on this story lately, so I hope you are all liking it so far. Big shoutout and thanks to Heartofadragon2014 for leaving me my first review, it means a lot that you took the time to read this story, and I hope you are liking it so far. Last Chapter, everyone got to know a bit more about Jonas and his status, he also learned from Hyuuga about the Union Core that's resting within him, and what it can potentially mean for him. It will play a big role later on, but as of now, think of it as a pace maker, it's keeping his human body alive while also giving him the call sign of a Fleet of Fog Vessel. Once activated, it will also give him the same abilities as a Fog Vessel and he will be able to control his ship body, which is that of the USS Iowa. I'm not exactly sure why I choose that ship in particular. Though I was planning on making a fictional Battleship, the USS Puerto Rico since I of course am from there, I thought it would be cool to have a battleship named after where I was born and raised, but I never got around to choosing what class it would be. Of course I can make it an Iowa class vessel and keep the armament the same if I really wanted too, but I'm not gonna bother.**

 **Anyway, this chapter...Jonas will get to meet some familiar faces from the Fleet of Fog. And no, it isn't going to be the I-401 and her crew, that won't happen just yet, but it will soon.**

 **The next chapter is going to be a special one, which I will be calling, Meet the Fleet, where I will give detail on all the characters currently under Jonas Rongil and the Emerald Fleet, it should be interesting and you all get a little more current information on everyone that's appeared so far. I think I will be adding some cut scenes with Kongo after this chapter, because I have failed to introduce her yet. And of course I get to explore a bit of Maya's character, and she happens to be a favorite of mine, so I'll be looking forward to writing it as much as you guys will be looking forward to reading it.**

 **Enough talking, i shall post the story before I get shot with Thanatonium missiles. The story awaits!**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 5

As they had been approaching their destination, Jonas realized that the typhoon they were hoping to use as cover had started to break up, leaving nothing but a tropical depression behind. It had only been a couple of hours since leaving Iwoto, and even with her speed, Shiki wouldn't have gotten there on time. They were nearing the last known location of the I-401, paying a close attention the surrounding area. So far, they had been clear of any other Fog vessel, which was good, but it was also a bad sign, because they could literally be anywhere, and the last thing they needed was to be blind sided by a Fast Battleship.

Jonas took a sip of his drink, eyeing the screen closely, the blinking dots on screen representing his current location, as well as the coordinates given to him by Hyuuga. It had been deathly silent for awhile, only the sounds of typing and the ships engines feeling the bridge. Nick had been reading a magazine, twitching in his seat for the last hour. Since there weren't any enemy ships nearby, he didn't need to constantly monitor the armament, thankfully though he was ready to fire in case he needed too, but that didn't make the trip any less boring. He finally set his magazine down, sinking into his chair.

"Goddamn, I'm so bored!" he exclaimed.

"Good for you, now keep it quiet, the rest of us are trying not to die!" Taco replied, his eyes firmly on the screen before him. Nick spun in his seat, glaring at the Australian.

"How the hell aren't you bored? We have practically the same job, you just handle the less serious armament. You have nothing to do right now, at least not like Chloe."

"Hey, if you want something to do, why don't you go wash the lavatories? That should be entertaining enough!" Miku said, a smirk on her lips.

"Fuck you, I would rather sit here bored out of my mind then to clean toilets!" Nick snapped, looking away from the purplette.

"Agreed...but it should be noted that at any time an enemy ship can come at us, so we need to keep a constant eye in case we need to attack!" Taco said firmly.

"I'm getting passive sonar readings. Signal confirmed to be the Heavy Cruiser Takao!" Chloe cried.

"All hands to stations, brace for attack. Nick flood tubes 1-8 and load thanatonium warheads. Serina, lower us to half speed!" Jonas called out. They all jerked a bit, as the ship was slowing down. Nick hastily typed the algorithm for the warheads, quickly loading them into the appropriate tubes.

"Alright, Fire 1-4!" Jonas cried out.

"Wait...I'm not detecting any movement from her, not even the activation of her wave force armor or the loading of missiles!" Chloe cried out, just a second before Nick tapped the fire icon on his screen. Jonas stood up and walked over to the sonar station, grabbing Chloe's headphones. He hadn't taken extensive lessons on sonar detection, but he could at least tell when a ship was getting ready to attack. He hummed to himself, handing her the headphones back.

"Shiki, Isuzu I want you to make contact with Takao." he said.

"What for? What if she pulls a surprise attack?" Nick asked.

"Then just fire, that's what you are here for right?" Jonas asked, giving the teenager a bright grin. Nick mumbled a swear under his breath, turning back to his panel. Maybe he had spoken too soon, he loved sea warfare, but sometimes it really annoyed the hell out of him.

Shiki and Isuzu once again found themselves in the familiar pavilion. They nodded to each other, and proceeded to walk forward standing in front of the wire table, the same steaming kettle of tea had been placed a top it. It wasn't long before Takao appeared before them, arms crossed with a look of disdain on her face.

She was a fair young woman, standing at a tall five foot ten, with long light blue hair tied up into a ponytail of sorts. She had bright blue eyes, a small nose and bright pink lips, a small beauty mark was visible near her bottom lip. She was wearing a sleeveless white shirt, with small round buttons. She also wore a matching light red skirt, that reached down to mid thigh. She wore a pair of black stockings and white heels. Around her neck was a black choker, with a small medallion on it. She huffed, glancing away from the two.

"What would the two Fleet deserters want with little old me?" she asked, her voice sounding annoyed. Shiki chuckled and pulled one of the chairs forward, sitting down on it.

"We wish to know what you are doing out here? More importantly, why aren't you attacking? I have my crew on standby and yet you aren't attacking, that isn't like you." She said.

"It isn't within normal parameters at least." Isuzu said, her golden rings disappearing from around her.

"As if you would know what my normal parameters are sister." Takao snapped, glaring at Isuzu. The black haired girl rolled her eyes, taking a seat in front of the table.

"I didn't think you would actually acknowledge me as such. After I absorbed the remains of Alpha into my hull and became a Heavy Light Cruiser class, you and Maya stopped talking to me, saying I had disgraced you as sisters under the Takao Class. Hiei was rather adamant about it, but it was Flagship Hyuuga's call after all. Did something change within the year and a half we ceased communications? Or maybe it's the fact that I-401 kicked your sorry ass into the outer seas?" Isuzu asked, pouring herself a cup of tea. Takao grit her teeth, clenching her hands tightly.

"What was the reason for this call?" Takao asked, her teeth clenched tightly. Shiki took a sip of her tea, setting the cup down on the dainty plate. She glanced up at Takao, a small on her face.

"Do you plan to leave the Fleet? If so then we would love to welcome you into our own. Our captain is a very interesting individual. He takes care of us, cares about our well being...hell he gave us the freedom we wouldn't have gained if we remained in the Fleet. A year ago, I was just a curious mental model who wanted to know more about humans, now I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I am human. Sure, I may be a Mental Model, but you are the same as you feel. If I feel human, than I am human. It's the same for Isuzu, in the short time she's been with us, she's developed a different personality then before. You can call it pride." Shiki said, earning a huff from the black haired girl.

"I don't think writing is pride, of course that's a secret that not even my captain will know about." she said.

"Sure sure, so long as you let me read the naughty bits before you finish them up!" the blonde said, earning a nod from the raven haired girl.

"Are you...asking me to join your fleet?" Takao asked, greatly confused at the two girls. Isuzu nodded, giving her a smile.

"Of course, I would love it if you joined us sister. We would welcome you with open arms. Besides we don't have a heavy cruiser in our ranks yet. It will be awhile until my hull gets fixed anyway. The extra firepower will be beneficial for us." she said. Takao narrowed her eyes, most likely thinking about the offer. She turned around, glancing away from the two girls.

"I must apologize...while the offer seems interesting, it isn't ideal for me at this moment. I want to find my own way, and for that I must learn for myself what it means to be a captain, and to have one on board. When I was battling against 401, I caught a glimpse of a very interesting place, so I'm steaming toward it right now. I'm on a weapons lock down for the next 22 hours, so I won't be a threat to you...however just because we're sisters doesn't mean I won't attack you. Be well Isuzu."

"So, what did she say?" Jonas asked, staring at the two mental models. Isuzu shook her head, running her fingers through her hair.

"It seems my elder sister is deciding for herself what to do. She suffered a rather humiliating defeat against 401 and her crew, so she's sticking to the outer seas. Currently she has a weapons lock down so she won't be a threat to us." she said.

"Alright, Nick, disengage torpedo tubes 1-8 and drain them, we won't be needing those thanatonium missiles just yet." Jonas said. Nick nodded and canceled out of the firing screen, unloading the armament he had carefully programmed, muttering things under his breath.

"Heavy Cruiser Takao is changing course, it seems she's steaming north, toward the Island of Hokkaido." Chloe said, watching the red blinking dot slowly drift across the screen. Jonas nodded, leaning back in his seat.

"Shiki, relay a message to Hyuuga, let her know that Takao won't be an issue and that we'll continue following 401 as per our agreement. Isuzu, contact 401 and let her know that we'll be on stand by should she need assistance." he said.

"Aye captain!" the two girls cried, once again focusing on their communications. Jonas let out a sigh of relief, knowing he wouldn't have to battle another ship for awhile. He felt Miku's gaze and looked at her, giving her a serious look.

"Something the matter?" he asked. She shook her head, a giggle escaping her lips.

"You look so relieved. Were you tense because we were about to fight?" she asked.

"A little bit. We may be inside a Japanese Cruiser, but that doesn't mean we aren't at risk of sinking. We've taken the proper precautions, have all of our life boats and inflatables, but you never know what may happen." he said.

"Don't worry Captain, we aren't going to let our home sink. We're the IJN Shimakaze after all, the leader of the Green Fleet, the Emerald Eagles! You have to be more confident in our abilities." Chloe said, spinning around to face her friend.

"Please, Jonas is confident in us, or else he wouldn't gamble so much with our ship. I mean, there's only one person I know who takes on a Heavy Light Cruiser with very little armament and can still pull off a win." Nick said.

"Don't forget taking on a Resupply Vessel who has the strongest wave force armor after the Supreme Flagship. I'm still jittery from that one mate." Taco said.

"You praise me too much...honestly, it's thanks to all the training I've received over the years. After all, Chloe, Nick and I are the only ones who received formal training, same with Serina. You and Miku have impressed me with how much you've learned. You two make me proud, to be your captain and your friend." Jonas said, making the purplette blush. Taco chuckled, rubbing his nose.

"Aw, you're gonna make blush mate!" he said.

"How is that even possible? You look like a goddamn shadow!" Nick cried out.

"Oi, don't make me beat your ass into the ground, candle wax!" Taco cried back, earning a laugh from Nick.

"Captain, I relayed the message to Hyuuga. She sends her thanks for supporting her crew. Apparently, she got a message from her captain, Chihaya Gunzou, stating that they had been tasked with delivering a special warhead to America. She trusts us to not only escort 401 back to Iwoto, but to keep that information and the warhead safe should trouble arise." Shiki said.

"Understood, shift our course a bit. I want to stick to the outer seas and still be close to the 401 in case she needs assistance." he said.

"Shifting course to bearing 315, setting course for the Port of Yokosuka." Shiki said firmly, her bright green rings expanding a bit. Once everything was set, she let out a sigh, sitting down next to the captain's chair.

"Also, I got a message from Tohka. She came up with a design based on Nick's idea for the Photon Rifles. She has a prototype ready for us to try out, along with a few other weapons. She's sending Theta out to meet us with them and should be arriving at around three in the morning, so long as she isn't delayed of course. I'll take care of the mooring arms so you don't have to get up." she said, earning a nod from Jonas.

"Awesome, I'm dying to see what Tohka came up with. We worked too hard on those designs for them to fail on us. We'll be much safer with them too, in case someone tries to unwillingly board the ship." Nick said.

"I bright idea man, good job. Well, I think we should retire for the evening. We have nothing but smooth sailing ahead of us, so everything should be okay. Are you fine with that Shiki?"

"Of course, I'll take over so you and everyone else can start dinner preparations. When Isuzu is done speaking with Iona, I'll send her your way." she said. Jonas nodded and stood up, stretching his tired limbs.

"Alright, continue our heading and let us know if something comes up alright?"

"Understood. Have fun guys!" she said, watching as everyone slowly filed out of the bridge. She sighed, taking a seat where her captain was just sitting. She looked around, keeping an eye on all of the stations.

"So much has changed in so little time. Have I changed this much already?" she mumbled, looking at her hand. She opened and closed it a few times, a small smile working its way onto her face.

"No...I've merely evolved since meeting Jonas...I've become better, smarter...and more human...I will continue being by his side until the day he stops needing me." she said to herself. She giggled, deciding to speed up a bit, the faster they got to Yokosuka, the faster she could start exploring.

It was late at night, nearly three in the morning when the crew of the Shimakaze were rudely awakened. Jonas practically jumped out of bed, shaking his head from the sudden jerk the vessel had taken. Another explosion filled his ears and he rapidly stood up. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, he quickly put them on, jumping into his shoes before heading toward the bridge. As soon as the door to the bridge opened, he saw bright flashing lights. The sounds of missiles being launched echoed throughout the ship as Shiki shot off some of her warheads at the enemy.

"What's going on?" he asked, holding back a yawn.

"We're being attacked. I tried sticking to the outer seas as much as possible but it seems someone put a hit on us. The sensors confirmed the call sign of the Fast Battle Ship Kirishima and Fast Battleship Haruna, both of them are Kongo class battleships with nearly identical length, beam and draft. Their armaments are also very much the same, except Kirishima has a High Voltage discharger and a Surface-to-Surface shock system. However our biggest threat is Haruna, she has a special coat that makes her processing power 100 times better than our own, so she'll be able to react faster than us." Shiki said. Her eyes widened as more warheads flew toward them.

"Quick, hard to port, fire port side missiles!" she cried. Isuzu nodded, quickly shifting the ships direction. The snapping of missile tubes echoed through the ship as all of the available rockets were shot off.

"Four confirmed hits, Klein field operating at 45%." Isuzu called back. Jonas quickly took his seat, just in time for the rest of his crew to come into the bridge. Chloe and Miku were still in their night gowns, while Taco and Nick had hastily dressed themselves. Nodding to his crew, Jonas looked at the battle screen, the two enemy ships flashing brightly on them.

"Alright, we're being attacked by two Kongo class Fast Battleships, Kirishima and Haruna, we must do everything we can to destroy them. Our main target will be Haruna, but I want power deviated to counter Kirishima and if possible, sink her as well." he said.

"Are you insane? A Battleship is doable, maybe a submarine, but we can't possibly take on two Fast Battleships and come out alive." Nick said.

"Then it's best you get your ass in gear and start loading the missile tubes! Flood tubes 9-20 and load thanatonium charges. Taco I want you to focus on sending a short guided missile barrage at Haruna, we have to weaken her armor." Miku cried out, earning a nod from the two teens.

"Incoming missiles, 42 contacts will hit our port side in five seconds."

"Fire All!" Jonas cried out.

The entire area around Shimakaze was filled with smoke as she fired every single warhead that had been loaded into her missile tubes. Several of the active missiles had been destroyed, but four managed to strike her Starboard side, rocking the ship a bit.

"Isn't this fun Haruna? I wasn't expecting to find one of our enemies in these waters, but here we are." Kirishima said, glancing at her sister.

Her mental model made her have the appearance of a young woman in her early twenties, with short brown hair tied into a ponytail. She was wearing a sleeveless button down shirt that reached down to her midriff, leaving her naval exposed. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans, the legs being of different lengths. The right pant leg was stuffed into her brown leather boot, while the left was cut to just above her mid thigh. She was wearing a pale yellow stocking on her left leg, along with a brown leather boot, completing her outfit. On her hands, she was wearing a pair of blue gloves, with frilly yellow ribbons on the wrist.

Beside her, the glowing yellow glow of her sister ship Haruna filled her eyes. Standing atop her conning tower was her mental model. She had the appearance of a young girl, perhaps around the age of eighteen, with long bright yellow hair, tied into pigtails with black hair ties. She had pale colored skin and bright green eyes. The rest of her body wasn't visible, due to the large black coat she was wearing, which reached down to the floor, blocking her body out entirely.

"Kirishima, we must not underestimate them. They were the ones who made Shiretoko leave our fleet, so we must sink them here and now." Haruna said, glancing at her sister. Kirishima groaned.

"Yeah, I understand but I wanted to have a bit of fun first. Watching them struggle is entertaining." the brunette replied. Her eyes shifted to her sonar, seeing several targets flying toward them. She readjusted her Klein field, absorbing all of the targets completely.

"Hmm...that wasn't so bad...I didn't detect those until after they had almost reached us. The human who programmed these isn't half bad, but he isn't half good either." she said. Snapping her fingers, loud sirens filled the area as she loaded all of her port side missile tubes, preparing to launch all of the rockets at her enemy.

"I shall join you as well Kirishima. Let us make sure Shimakaze founders tonight." Haruna replied.

"Heh, there you go making use of that vocabulary of yours."

"Speaking is a beautiful form of art, I must collect and catalog everything that catches my interest, so I can salvage this beautiful art for all eternity." she said. Taking the initiative, she fired all of her warheads, with Kirishima following closely behind.

"36 contacts, 16 confirmed thanatonium charges." Chloe cried out, eyes firmly on the screen.

"Captain, our field will reach it's limit if we take three more hits!" Shiki cried. Jonas grit his teeth.

"Fire all generators, we can't let our field fall!" he cried. Taco hastily programmed the required number of Klein generators and fired them into the air. The exploded, forming a bright green field around the ship, successfully absorbing all of the incoming contacts.

"Klein Generators will go down in T-59 seconds!" Taco cried.

"Shiki, how close are we to land?" Jonas asked.

"Not close enough. Yokosuka's Port is still 700 miles away...if we try to head there, then they'll follow us and that might compromise 401's mission." She replied.

"Shit, we're in a pickle here aren't we fellas?" Jonas asked, his tone of voice remaining smooth and calm. His crew members looked at him curiously, a sense of urgency in their faces.

"Shiki, Isuzu shift our course to bearing 212. Nick I want you to flood all the Starboard missile tubes, load everything you can and fire them off. We'll use them as cover and try to get out of here. Serina, can you engage Full Burst Mode?" Miku asked, glancing at the screen.

"Hate to piss in your cornflakes, but by the time Full Burst Mode was ready to use, our field would be saturated and we would be at the bottom of the ocean." the engineer replied, hastily managing the engines to shift their course.

"What do we do captain?" Miku cried, looking at Jonas, who was still lost in thought. His eyes widened a bit, a smirk forming on his face.

"Alright, they picked a fight with us, then they'll get a fight with us. All crew head to the Boat deck immediately. Board the life boat and send a signal to Theta. I shall take care of things here."

"Are you insane? You want us to abandon ship?" Chloe cried out, unable to comprehend what her captain was saying.

"It's the only choice we have, realistically we won't be able to make it anywhere, not with Kirishima and Haruna on our tails. They don't know Theta is coming toward us, so while Jonas leads them away in the Shimakaze, we can board Theta and wait for further instructions." Miku said. Everyone shared a look, sadness making it's way onto their faces. Shiki however smiled, giving them a nod.

"Don't worry guys...this is just a ship, so long as I am here we will always be home. Tohka can always rebuild my ship body, but for now it's imperative that you leave." Shiki said.

"T-10 seconds until the field is down!" Taco cried.

"Go now, me and Shiki will handle things here!" Jonas cried. Everyone jumped out of their seats, heading out of the bridge. Miku stopped for a second, giving her captain a firm hug before leaving with the rest of the crew.

"I'm not moving Captain, you'll need someone to handle the engines, so I'll stay here and cover you." Serina said, not budging from her seat.

"No, I want you to go with everyone else." Jonas called back.

"And I'm telling you no! Sorry Captain but I've made up my mind...I'm rerouting power from the unused compartments and directing them to the engines, we should a sufficient supply to work with now." she said firmly, the sounds of her keyboard filling his ears. Jonas sighed and took a seat in Nick's empty chair, glancing at the panel before him.

"Alright, Shiki focus on our sonar and countermeasures, I'll handle the rest."

"You got it captain!" the blonde said.

"What are they doing now?" Kirishima said. She had been to interested in the enemy ship to attack. She had seen their Klein field go down a few seconds prior, but it seemed as if all had stopped from the Japanese Destroyer.

"It seems the crew is launching their life boat. Shall we attack them?" Haruna asked.

"Nah, I think it's better for them to stay adrift in the ocean. Maybe they'll get eaten by sharks." the brunette replied. The two of them watched attentively while the small glowing green boat was lowered into the waves. Since it was also part of the ship, it had it's own graviton engine, though at a smaller scale. That lifeboat could allow them to travel at five knots if they were really pushing it. It seemed to the two as if they were headed back the way they came.

"Hmm...didn't you say the captain was a male in his late teens? With short black hair? I didn't see one that fit that description, nor did I see Shimakaze." Kirishima said.

"There's movement coming from the ship, it seems not all of her crew abandoned it. Her field is nearly saturated, let us finish this job." Haruna said, her hull picking up speed. Kirishima nodded, following after her sister.

"Kirishima and Haruna are moving straight for us." Shiki cried, eyes firmly locked on the screen.

"Full Speed Ahead! Shift our bearing north east, try to port around them!" Jonas cried out, hastily typing into the panel. He clicked and dragged all of the available missiles into the launchers before firing them all. The ship jerked a bit, taking another hit to the stern.

"Starboard Engine has taken a hit, we can't keep going at full speed!" Serina cried. She grit her teeth, watching the glowing green sparks bounce around her, luckily they weren't life threatening unless she was charging them up.

"Half Speed, Shiki load the next set of Generators!"

"Klein Field Generators being loaded into tubes 14-17. Incoming warheads, I detect three thanatonium readings!"

"Hard to Starboard!" Jonas called out, grasping the seat tightly as he felt the ship quickly start to turn. Three explosions filled his ears, the entirety of the ship rocking back and forth as they detonated. Shiki grit her teeth, almost falling from her spot next to the captains seat.

"Klein field is down. We're taking in water on the starboard side, five minutes before water tight compartment number six floods entirely."

"Engage the pumps, we can't loose a single compartment. Can you repair it?" Jonas asked, glancing at the mental model.

"Negative, if I start self repairing at this time, I will reach my processing limit." Shiki said.

"Captain, not to worry you but the engine room is starting to take in water. It seems the damage to the Starboard engine also included the propulsion shaft, I've lost the engine completely." Serina replied.

Jonas glanced at the screen, seeing the water gushing into the room his youngest crew member was stationed in. He balled his hands, slamming them onto the panel in front of him.

"Damn it, is this it? Are we really gonna sink here of all times?" he snapped angrily.

"Captain." Shiki muttered. She had never seen her friend filled with such worry and dread before. Even Serina was shocked, having never seen him act like that. He took a deep breath, standing up from his seat. Another missile hit the side of the ship, almost throwing him off his feet, it was quickly followed by a second and a third.

"We've lost three compartments already, we're starting to list to Starboard." Shiki said.

"Serina get out of the engine room right now. Shiki I need you to leave the ship right this instant, I don't want you both to die here." he said.

"What about you captain?" She asked. Jonas smirked, tugging at his collar.

"I'm giving you a chance to escape. Head to the port side life boats, there's an inflatable raft there, use that if the list to Starboard becomes to much to launch the boat. I'll meet you two on Theta when she arrives." he said. She nodded, closing her specs and heading out of the room. He sighed, looking around, a frown on his face. He walked over to the sonar station, grabbing Chloe's discarded headset. He engaged the microphone, glaring at the screen before him.

"Kirishima, Haruna...I am Jonas Rongil, the captain of the Shimakaze. I know not why you have decided to attack my vessel, but all I ask is that you allow the last of my crew to leave. Your fight is with me." he said firmly.

"Huh...are you hearing this guy Haruna? He sure has some big ones to challenge us like that." Kirishima said, glancing at her sister. Haruna was rather pensive, watching the green ship slowly taking in water. The list to Starboard was clearly visible now, and it wouldn't take much to sink her.

"We will allow your crew to leave, but we do not intend to spare your ship." Haruna replied firmly, surprising Kirishima. Jonas chuckled, shaking his head.

"I see, you two are a worthy foe. But if I we're you, I wouldn't wait around for an absolution that will never come. I will sink you, you can count on that." he said, before ending the transmission. He quickly made his way to the Armament station, and started filling all of the port side tubes with the last bit of ammunition he could.

"What did he say? Absolution?" Kirishima asked, glancing at Haruna, who already had her window opened up.

"Absolution, the act of absolving or the state of being absolved, to be released of guilt, or punishment. This will be recorded, cataloged and saved." she said, in a monotone voice.

"Incoming warheads, it seems he isn't ready to give up yet." Kirishima said, adjusting her Klein field. She took all of the hits, a few of them being absorbed by Haruna's field. She rose her hand, launching several more missiles at Shimakaze's vessel, striking her port side, though thankfully the last of her crew had managed to get away. The ship had by now been split in half, with the stern falling inward while the bow was still pointing upward. Kirishima chuckled, programming a few more thanatonium charges.

"This is the end for you Shimakaze...Kongo is going to be pleased...wait...what is that?" She suddenly said, looking at her sonar. She heard an unfamiliar sound in her sonar, one she hadn't heard before. Haruna looked at the remains of the ship, eyeing the top of her deck. Her eyes widened a bit and she zoomed in, trying to get a confirmation.

"It's a Float Plane. I wasn't even aware she had one." Haruna replied.

"So what? What is a little plane going to do to us?" Kirishima asked. The two watched as the plane was launched high into the air, just before the bow of the ship sunk below the waves. The plane flew straight for a few seconds before leveling out. It's altitude lowered a bit as it flew passed the two Fog ships. Kirishima and Haruna watched it closely, seeing the black haired teenager piloting it was none other than the captain of the Shimakaze. He glared at the two, holding up his right hand, his middle finger raised. Kirishima just looked at him in confusion while Haruna understood the gesture entirely.

"Let us go Kirishima, I doubt they'll be a bother to us anytime soon. We shall report this to Kongo right away." Haruna replied.

"If you say so...say do you know what that gesture was?" the brunette asked.

"If I am correct, it's something humans give each other, usually used as an offensive hand gesture. It means nothing to us." she said simply. Kirishima nodded, mimicking the gesture that she had seen the boy make.

"Hmm...it might be useful in a later fight...anyway, let's change our course to the Port of Yokosuka. We should make land by tomorrow night, and then we'll be able to take down 401 and her crew." she said. Haruna nodded, the two changed their course, setting off toward the distant Japanese Port.

Jonas sighed as he glanced back to the smoke cloud where his once proud ship stood. The hull had just sunk below the waves entirely, the last remaining things being a few barrels and the flag that they had hung up on the flag pole near the stern. Isuzu directed his plane down, safely landing it on the water near the two life boats. He shut the engine off and unbuckled his belt, hopping out of the seat and standing on the right wing of the plane, glancing at his friends.

"I'm sorry guys...we were caught off guard, it was totally my fault that they sunk our ship." he said.

"Hey, don't give us that crap! We tried our damn hardest and that wasn't enough, two Fast Battleships? It's damn near impossible to beat them at the same time. We would need an endless supply of thanatonium warheads." Nick said.

"Don't feel down mate, we did our best...as long as we're alive, that's all that matters." Taco said, giving his captain a smile.

"It is a shame though, I would have at least liked to get dressed first." Miku said, clutching her oar tightly. Chloe nodded, her red locks moving in all directions.

"I didn't even grab my brush." she said.

"Oh no...my crate of Mountain Dew, I wasn't able to save a single can...goddamn you! Goddamn all of you!" Nick shouted, his arms held high above his head. He let out an anguished cry, falling to his knees.

"Oh get over it, we lost our home! That is more important than some goddamn soda!" Serina snapped, making the teen eep in fear. They all heard the loud sound of a fog horn and looked behind them, seeing the hull of an approaching vessel. Thankfully, it was one of their own. The green markings, along with their sigil was clearly visible on the side of her hull. Theta shut off her engines, slowly drifting toward the crew of the Shimakaze. All of the lights on the forward deck turned on, revealing the mental model for the vessel.

Since she ran on Tohka's power, she had only a limited choice of what she could appear. She had chosen to look like a girl, who was in her early teens, fourteen, with soft colored ivory skin. She was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, with tight fitting white shorts and matching red heels. She had long crimson hair, tied into twin tails with black ribbons. She also had bright eyes, the irises being a milky white color, something that had been off putting the first time they saw it, but now they had grown used to it. She jumped down to the forward deck, walking over to the port side bow, hands at her hips.

"Jeez, you couldn't have waited for me to show up?" she snapped. One thing that they had all found out was the fact that Theta was a rather sassy mental model. While her older sister Beta was more quiet and reserved, Theta was more outgoing, loud and a bit rude. She didn't hold her tongue and would always voice her opinion, it was something that Tohka was quite proud of, even if it annoyed her at times.

"We didn't have a choice, Kirishima and Haruna got us while we were sleeping." Jonas called out. She tsked, looking away from them.

"You humans are so useless! We mental models don't need sleep so we can avoid this sort of crap." she said.

"But wasn't it you that said you loved taking naps?" Nick asked. The crimson haired girl sighed, shaking her head. She snapped her fingers, willing a gangplank to form.

"Climb aboard, I had anticipated something like this happening so I brought some provisions from home with me. I'll be glad to inform you that I am fully stocked on all armament and countermeasures along with several spare barrels of nanomaterial should we need it." Theta said.

"Excellent. Once we are out of these boats could you turn them into nanomaterial and store them up? I also need a tow for the plane...it might come in handy later on." Jonas said, stepping onto one of the larger steps on the gangplank.

"Sure thing Jonas, I shall do it all post haste."

"So, what will we do now? It's not like we can go back to sleep or anything." Serina asked.

"Don't worry, I doubt anything will happen. Theta did you get any readings on nearby ships?" he asked. The redhead shook her head.

"I didn't receive any incoming signals. The only ones I saw were that of the Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna, but they have already departed. I found something interesting while I was steaming this way, it seems that the Heavy Cruiser Maya is stationed near here...if you'd like we can take her out." Theta suggested. Jonas shook his head, as he made his way onto the deck.

"Any other night, I would definitely attack her. But as of now we are on a mission from Hyuuga, to keep an eye on 401, so we can't abandon it. We may have lost our ship, but at least we still had back up. Thanks for being here Theta, I really appreciate it." he said, clapping her shoulder. She blushed, giving him a smile.

"No problem Jonas. I have finished converting the life boats into nanomaterial, it will take me a few minutes to create a raft big enough to tow the plane, but we should be moving shortly." She said.

"Awesome, I'll be on the bridge. Shiki, Isuzu you two will remain on standby and become Theta's sub-processor, from now on until we can recover our old hull, Theta will be our Flagship, understood."

"Yes captain!" the two girls said firmly. Shiki frowned however, glancing at the spot where her old hull used to be. Jonas ruffled her hair, giving her a grin.

"We'll be fine. I know you feel like you are being replaced, but you are not. In my heart you will always be my partner and our Flagship, but for now let's let Theta handle that role, at least until we can go back to Rota Island."

"Okay...thank you Jonas, for reassuring me...if it's alright, would you mind if I take a quick nap? I'm almost at my limit." she said, a tiny yawn escaping her lips. He gave her a nod.

"Go ahead, it was a bit rude of me to put you on standby without thinking about your well being. You can take a break too if you want Isuzu."

"I'm alright, compared to Shiki I'm still ready to go." the black hared girl said. He gave her a nod, looking back to the blonde girl.

"Go ahead, have a good sleep okay?"

"I will, thanks Jonas." she said, slowly making her way inside the ship. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"What a mess...maybe we should take turns at night, to keep an eye on things so that his doesn't happen." He said, leaning against the railing.

"You couldn't have predicted something like this to happen Jonas. They just came at us from out of nowhere, if sister and I had been at your side, we could have held them off. Sadly that wasn't possible, at least I was able to rescue you guys before something bad happened, and for that I am thankful. Alright, the raft is now complete, I will secure the mooring lines to the plane and begin our trip to Yokosuka's Port."

"Actually, would you mind going at half Speed?" he asked.

"We can't do that Captain...we'll get there at night." Isuzu said.

"That's the idea. We were supposed to make it to Yokosuka at around eleven am, an hour after the I-401 was set to arrive, but if we go at half speed, it will give Kirishima and Haruna more than enough time to get ahead of us. That way we can blind side them and take them out that way, call me crazy, but when I was talking to them was able to glance at their thoughts. They're headed to Yokosuka, to take the 401 out of commission." he said.

"Hmm...that's rather interesting...if we set course at half speed, we'll get there at night sure, but with the added support from the 401, we'll be able to do significant damage. Not just that, but I have my full armament meaning we can launch enough corrosive warheads at them to saturate their fields." Theta said.  
"And we can salvage Shimakaze's armament, how would you like to get yourself a Super Gravity Cannon Theta? I bet you never once dreamed of having one in your hull." Isuzu teased, making the redhead blush.

"That is true...alright, Let's salvage all we can from our Flagship and then make course for Yokosuka. We'll be sure to give them a surprise they wouldn't be expecting!"

"I'll leave it all to you then. Isuzu, I'd like a report of our armament afterwards alright?"

"Aye aye captain, Theta let's see if we can salvage the flag, it means a lot to us." she said. The ship slowly started moving toward where Shimakaze once was, their mission already underway.


	6. Meet the Crew

**A/N: Hi everyone...this is gonna be a quick chapter, the first of two that will be showing us a little more back story on Jonas and his crew and how most of them met. It will also include a little bit about what they did before becoming members of Shimakaze's crew and ultimately creating the Green Fleet, known as the Emerald Eagles. I just thought this would be a fun little chapter, so everyone is at least a little more acquainted with the characters. I know I explained a bit about them in Chapter 2, but consider this a lengthened profile on each character. Part Two will be out as soon as I can write it, it is the chapter explaining the current Ships under Jonas and the Emerald Eagles, so it's taking a bit of time and research, I want to get every detail down perfectly and that involves delving into tons of information. I want to keep the specifications as close as I can. I hope you like this and leave a review if you do as well...**

Meet the Fleet

Part 1

The Crew

This is a quick chapter that will have information on everyone currently within the story of Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Emerald Eagles. It will depict mostly the crew of the Green Fleet, the Emerald Eagles, a group of teenagers branded Pirates by the US Government for making friends with humanity's enemy, the Fleet of Fog.

 _ **Crew:**_

 **Jonas Rongil:**

Age: 18 ½

Height: 5'9''

Weight: 150lbs

Gender: Male

Blood Type: AB

Status: Alive

Status Among Crew: Captain

Jonas Rongil his the current Captain of the Emerald Eagles. He was born in the year 2039, the same year that the final war against the Fleet of Fog had taken place. Growing up, he quickly realized what the world had turned into, and the struggles of everyday life forced him to want to become better. Wanting to provide a better life for her son, his mother, Jessica Rongil entrusted his care into the hands of her mother, who had heard about a rise in jobs in Russia, which had recently been connected to the North American Continent via bridge. They set off on a journey to head there on March of 2047, but the Fleet of Fog prepared an attack, taking out the bridge and everyone on it. As a result, Jonas was the only survivor, having lost his grandmother and his cousin to the fire fight. He jumped into the water after dodging a ballistic missile from one of the Light Cruisers and landed in the water, somehow finding himself in Hawaii a few weeks after.

Being found by what was left of the US Government in Hawaii, he was quickly taken in, and was made part of a certain project once they had gathered his information. His memories of his childhood are ones implanted to him by the government. Everything he did after arriving in Hawaii is merely a rouse to hide the truth as to why he was in Hawaii in the first place. He made it to his final year of Naval Academy and was ready to graduate with full honors when he decided to leave Hawaii for a better life. He and his friends, Nick and Chloe struck a deal with the Japanese Destroyer Shimakaze, and the four of them left on her hull, this would mark the beginning of the Emerald Fleet.

Jonas is the Captain of the Shimakaze, the Flagship of the Emerald Fleet, as such he wears what he thinks a captain should be wearing. He wears a black long sleeve shirt, with an unbuttoned blazer over it. The lapel of the blazer was decorated with white threads, and he wore a pin of their new sigil,which was that of an Eagle taking flight. It was a dark emerald green in color, the Eagle was holding three arrows in its beak, and thirteen olive branches in its talons. He wore a bright blue tie around his neck. He had on light gray jeans, held up by a black belt. Tied to his leg was a red holster, which held his 1911A1, along with his magazines and his tracers. On his left leg was a large fanny pack, tied to the side of his leg and his belt loops. Here he held more ammunition for his handgun, as well as his phone. He wore black buckle boots, with thick silver buckles, the tops of the boots were folded downward.

Jonas is a very outgoing guy, and holds his friends dear. He wants to make friends with the Fog, rather than destroy them all. He honestly believes that there can be friendship between humans and the Fog, and he is willing to try anything in order to prove that theory right. Whenever he's at the Emerald Eagle home port, he feels truly relaxed and more of his playful nature will come out. When he's on the bridge of his ship, he will always be serious. Due to the upgrades he received, he is able to process information rapidly, often times calling several things at once when he is battling against other ships. This ability has saved him and his crew countless times in the past and is his biggest aid in battle. He is currently the Captain of Theta, after having lost Shimakaze in an attack by the Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna.

 **Miku Yatogami:**

Age: 17

Height: 5'8''

Weight: 123lbs

Gender: Female

Blood Type: B

Measurements: 90-61-87

Cup Size: F

Status: Alive

Status Among Crew: First Mate

Being born of Japanese origin. Miku was born and raised on the Mariana Archipelago. Her parents had always wanted to live in a tropical region that was still close enough to Japan so that they could always visit. Her mother had fallen in love with the scenery there and thus they had moved there, months before the final battle against the Fog. Since then, all maritime commerce and air travel had been cut off, leaving the three stranded. At 7 years old, Miku was the last child on Rota Island, having been cut from both Guam and the other islands, it made it impossible to secure provisions, and thus many of the remaining citizens on the islands died, including her parents.

Miku faced many hardships as the last of the people died. Eventually, only seven people were left by the time she was thirteen. They build a sturdy raft and promised to bring stuff back from the neighboring Guam, but she never saw them again. Miku spent quite a long time alone, using the last of the resources around Rota Island to remain alive. Thankfully she was able to grow her own plants, and she had been able to make a makeshift green house from the little building material she had left. As she grew up, she scavenged all of the books she could and learned everything she could about Sonar and Morse Code. The biggest place in Rota Island was an observatory which the people had used to contact Guam if there was any trouble. Having finally understood and taken the grasp of Morse Code, she sent out a distress signal, hoping that someone someday could find and rescue her. Years passed, and finally, someone answered her call, just as she had run out of provisions. She had been expecting the US Military, or someone telling her that the war against the Fog had ended, but she was surprised and horrified when the Shimakaze made port on Rota Island. She had grabbed one of the few remaining rifles and trained it on the ship, knowing full well it wouldn't do anything against it, but when she saw humans walking down, she felt more relieved.

She explained her situation to Jonas and his friends and told him that she didn't care if they were friends with the Fog, as long as she was taken off the island, she would be happy. Feeling a bit of sorrow, Jonas agreed to get her off Rota Island. She would later become his First Mate, after gaining an interest in the Shimakaze and her main functions. She currently manages everything on the ship whenever the captain isn't around and is fully prepared to accept the role of captain should Jonas not be able to continue.

Miku is a slender girl, with long violet hair that cascades down her shoulders. She has equally bright violet eyes and a very beautiful face with a light complexion. She wears wearing a light pink jacket, over a silky purple sundress. She wears matching lavender heeled slippers that tied around her ankles, along with long white stockings. She is always seen with either a laptop or a tablet. She is responsible for keeping track of everything on the ship, including munitions, armament, supplies and various other things. She takes command of Shimakaze and the rest of the Emerald Fleet when Jonas is on land. She is also responsible for restocking the ship when they make port. She is currently the First Mate of Theta after having lost the Shimakaze in a battle against the Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna.

 **Nicholas Berubi McFay:**

Age: 17

Height: 5'11''

Weight: 132lbs

Gender: Male

Blood Type: A+

Status: Alive

Status Among Crew: Weapons and Armament Manager

Nicholas McFay, or simply _"Nick"_ is a young man who was living with Jonas Rongil in the Island State of Hawaii. Being born in Wisconsin, he and his family took a trip via cruise to Hawaii before the war and ended up being stuck there. Though he was an infant, he had yet to know what was truly going on in the world he had been born into. Growing up, Nick showed an interest in Naval Warfare, having watched various videos depicting the standings of the war around the world. When all of the Television stations ceased broadcasting due to the satellites being destroyed, young Nick decided it was time to get even with the enemy. So when he was old enough he set out to join the Naval Academy on Oahu Island. As he grew up, he learned various types of armament and became enthralled with the abilities of the Fleet of Fog Vessels. He was slowly become one of the most well known cadets in the academy and quickly rose through the ranks, showing much promise for the future. However, Nick became angered when he wasn't allowed to train on the Ships the Navy had left. They feared an attack from the Fog and thus couldn't risk loosing them, but Nick always felt there was an underlying reason for that. There were other students allowed into the secret dry docks and yet he was at the top of his class and he didn't have permission to enter.

Sad and depressed, he decided he was going to drop out of Naval Academy and find some meager job to support his ailing parents. He ended up running into Jonas and his friend Chloe and quickly befriending them. It was thanks to them that he decided to stick around and continue his studies. Jonas discussed with him various types of armaments that he wanted to learn about, and even talked about his special Tracers which would disable a Fog Vessel, rendering it's systems useless, though he didn't know if they worked. Being talked into it by Chloe, Nick and his friends went to what was left of Iroquois Point and waited for a Fog Vessel to pass by, which turned out to be the IJN Shimakaze. Jonas finally was able to test his device and the three boarded the unknown ship. He would later become it's Weapons and Armament Manager, becoming a trusted friend and crew member to Jonas and the Shimakaze. He is currently the Weapons and Armament Manager of Theta, after having lost the Shimakaze in a battle against the Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna.

 **Chloe Greene:**

Age: 18

Height: 5'7''

Weight: 112lbs

Gender: Female

Blood Type: O-

Measurements: 80-56-80

Cup Size: C

Status: Alive

Status Among Crew: Sonar Operator

Having grown up in Hawaii, Chloe didn't have much to do with her spare time, nor did she have friends to play with. She was always the weird child in the family, being the oldest of three. When she was only a year old, the world ended up changing, as the Fleet of Fog took over the seas. For the next seven years, she would grow up to have a normal life, as normal as one could have in a world ruled by sentient war ships. By the time she was eleven years of age, she had already entered her tenth grade of high school, having skipped several grades to get there. Chloe was a young genius, showing a level of maturity not seen in many other children her age. She was able to solve large math problems and knew quiet a lot about the stars. This of course came from reading all of the books she could from the public library, as she had nothing better to do in her off time. This caught the attention of the United States Navy, and she was immediately enrolled in Naval Academy.

While she excelled in various fields, it was the Sonar that had captivated Chloe the most. She had always wanted to protect those she held dear, and by learning to use the Sonar she could easily detect enemy ships and various projectiles coming at them. She took all of her time and learned everything she could about being a Sonar Operator, passing every class with solid As. She had a bright future ahead of her in the academy and upon graduation she was going to be transferred into active duty alongside other Sonar Operators. However, she was also told that on her off time she would have to help around with office work, and that didn't really appease her much.

She had met Jonas one day when he had first entered the academy. She thought he was a cyborg at first by how he talked and walked, but eventually he ended up warming up to her and became her best friend, they even shared a dorm together. The two of them had grown oddly suspicious about the true intent for the Naval Academy, seeing as they weren't actually going to be put on ships and sent to battle. Jonas disregarded it and continued to support his friend in her endeavors. Finally, Chloe had enough of everything and set out to do what she wanted, to be someone the people could rely on, but before she could talk to the Admiral, she learned of Jonas's plan to built a special tracer that would allow him to take command of a Fog Vessel and shut down it's ship. She trained a bit more, learning everything she could possibly need, until the day came where she spotted a ship perfect for Jonas to test his tracers on. Convincing their other friend Nick, the three set off to Iroquois Point to wait for the vessel to pass by. Jonas finally seized control of the Shimakaze, and struck a deal with the mental model, and the three of them set sail, immediately being branded pirates by the US Government for betraying humanity and siding with the enemy. She along with Jonas and Nick have mug shots in every US Port and US owned land all over the world. There are also some places who have shown interest in their capture, while others are thankful for their assistance. Once Jonas had become captain of the Shimakaze, he had named her Sonar Operator and had immediately taken to her role, finally feeling useful for the first time in her life. She is currently the Sonar Operator of the Theta following the sinking of the Shimakaze after a battle against the Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna.

During her time in Naval School, Chloe was fond of the uniform, but after she left Hawaii, she crafted her own outfit to suit her needs on the Shimakaze. She now wears a sailor style uniform which she designed herself. It consists of a a light pink button down shirt, with a bright red vest over it. The lapels on the vest were black in color, with golden lining. Her pockets were black with gold lining around the top and the button was gold in color. She was wearing a short pleated skirt with golden lining and black frills at the bottom. She wore long black stockings and red heeled boots. She also carries a weapon on her much like her captain and Nick, since the three of them got them at Naval Academy. She wears her holster on her leg, which holds her Beretta 92fs as well as her smart phone. She also wears her own custom made Sonar headphones which she designed and created with the help of the Shimakaze's mental model, Shiki. While her hair is a soft cherry red, her true hair color is a dark shade of auburn, but almost no one has seen her with this hair color, as she changed it shortly before entering high school. She also has a slight crush on Jonas Rongil, though she is too nervous to act on these feelings, fearing rejection from her captain.

 **Takarou Shouchi:**

Age: 17

Height: 6'0''

Weight: 150lbs

Gender: Male

Blood Type: A

Status: Alive

Status Among Crew: Countermeasures Operator

Takarou, or simply _"Taco"_ is a young man from Australia. Having been born the son of a Japanese Man and an Australian Woman, Taco was instantly made fun of for being of a mixed race. It was apparent that his Australian side was showing a lot due to his darker skin tone, but even if he was made fun of as a kid, he brushed it all off in favor of wanting to enjoy his life. Having grown up in New Sydney after the old Sydney fell below the waves, Taco was mostly a sporty child, always being outside and enjoying nature. He grew up around animals and would often times go out in search of snakes and other dangerous creatures, something that made his mother quite nervous. However when he was twelve years of age, his father was killed by a gangster and he had to grow up rather fast, having left school to pursue a job so he could help his mother.

While he was working on the raised city of New Sydney, a Fleet of Fog Vessel ended up attacking due to spotting a worn fishing vessel near the reef and ended up attacking. Half of New Sydney fell into the water, leaving hundreds dead and missing. That was something that really angered Taco, so he decided to work toward become a ship captain, so he could take on the Fog. However that idea was quickly diminished due to his lack of knowledge and the fact that the Fleet of Fog was unbeatable with conventional means. So he instead convinced his mother to move to Newcastle to start their life anew, as New Sydney would be closed off and everyone still alive moved to other locations while it was repaired.

One day, while at the local park, Taco heard rumors and talk from the towns people, mentioning something about a ship making Port in what was once Sydney. Not really believing it, Taco rushed home and ended up getting ready for a quick trip to New Sydney to see if the rumors were true. The first time he got there, he saw nothing, other than construction workers and city officials. He traveled to this port two more times that month, but nothing happened. Finally on his final trip to New Sydney, he saw the Fleet of Fog vessel Shimakaze coming into Port. As it turned out, the Australian Government wanted to secure passage to the island of Tasmania, since all of the bridges had been severed. The Shimakaze had offered passes to leading government officials in order to see just how things were on the island and in return, they allowed them to make port in Australian cities whenever they needed too, so long as they could keep any incoming vessels at bay. Taco was happy yet angry to see the Fog vessel. He was mad that one of those ships was invading his homeland, but when he saw their crew, confusion filled his mind.

Taco ended up walking right toward the newly built wharf and strode right up to the Captain, demanding answers. Jonas of course was rather amused and told the teen that he would answer any and all questions he had. Upon seeing Shiki, Taco ended up loosing it, calling her a monster and a world destroyer, something that pained the girl a lot. Jonas, while angry, decided to let it slide as he wanted to build relations with everyone. After learning of Taco's history, Jonas decided to let him come with them, something that shocked Taco and the rest of the crew. The munitions were then split in half and the Countermeasures Station was created. It had been a bit rough for Taco during the first year, but he had learned quickly how to program and manage the armaments he was presented with, quickly becoming an important ally to Jonas and the Emerald Eagles. After explaining everything to his mother, he agreed to leave with Jonas and his new friends, promising to visit whenever he had the chance. He is currently the only crew member without a station, following the sinking of the Shimakaze after the battle against the Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna. Theta wasn't created with a Countermeasures Station and it would take too much time to reconstitute her body to create one, thus he decided to act as Nick's superior of sorts when it came to countermeasures, guiding him in making the correct choices when battling.

Taco is a brown skinned young man, with dark brown hair tied into dread locks. He wears a black tee shirt with a Marijuana leaf on it, which was wearing a pair of aviator glasses. He wears a pair of red and black shorts which reached to just below his knees. The outer pockets being lined with black thread. His headphones were sticking out from his pocket and was going through his shirt and hung out of his collar. He has his father's old cellphone with him, having been restored by Shimakaze, it also holds all of his father's favorite music.

 **Serina Arlington:**

Age: 17

Height: 5'1''

Weight: 92lbs

Gender: Female

Blood Type: B

Measurements: 75-54-80

Cup Size: A

Status: Alive

Status Among Crew: Engineer

Serina is a young woman who grew up on the US Territory of Guam following the defeat of the human Navy against the Fleet of Fog in 2039. Her mother had been one of the victims of said war, though she never met her mother as she was just a baby in the care of her grandparents at the time. Serina grew up with little interaction with other children, growing up mostly alone. At the age of seven she was enrolled in an all girl's school by her father, much to her dismay. She didn't really play with the girls her age and had little interaction with the boys her age. When her old school sunk into the ocean, she ended up moving into a mixed class in the old Academy for boys. When she graduated from that academy, she moved to the all female middle school, pursuing an interest in Engineering.

She quickly realized that there was nothing she could do in Guam. She was a great engineer but her potential couldn't be reached if she stayed on the island. She desperately wanted to leave the island, and find something to do with her life, she would do anything to leave even make friends with the Fleet of Fog. One day while she was skipping school, she ended up going to the old sunken Naval Base in the old part of town, after having wondered through the unflooded parts of the city she grew up in. The sounds of short rage ballistic missiles filled her ears and she quickly raced toward the highest part of the island that over looked the old sunken Naval Base, the Port of Apra. There she saw several US Navy Vessels engaged in combat with a Fleet of Fog vessel. Her eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. She saw her chance at freedom and she took it, doubling back to the school, she quickly found some thing to write on and wrote a quick message, before making her way back to the cliff. The ship seemed only to be passing by as it wasn't even bothering to counter attack. Once it started to pass by the cliff she held her sign up, hoping whoever was on it, be they good or bad, allowed her to leave. Much to her surprise, a bright green gangplank appeared before her, and she quickly raced aboard the ship, meeting the captain of the ship, a young man by the name of Jonas Rongil.

Serina was at first stunned to see a Fleet of Fog vessel with a human crew, but she was immediately relieved as well. She fell to her knees, finally free of the crappy life that awaited her on Guam. After explaining her situation, and finding out that she was awaiting the acceptance of an engineering degree, Jonas named her the Engineer of his vessel, and she was made a permanent addition to the crew.

Serina's snarky attitude amounts to the little contact she had with people. Even though she's mean spirited, swears like a sailor and has the audacity to challenge everyone around her, she is actually a sweet and kind individual, if you get to know her that is. Once she has made up her mind, it is nearly impossible for her to change it. It doesn't matter who they are, Serina has no fear of lashing at them. She is often times made fun of by Miku, calling her short and a small bundle of misery, but Serina quickly counters by calling her "Thunder Tits" something that annoys Miku to know end. She may have a crush toward the captain, Jonas, but she thinks she is merely attracted to him for what he did, rather than by his looks alone, though she does indulge in a few fantasies every now and again. Serina is the shortest member of the crew and is also the youngest, being born on December 23rd of 2039.

She is a girl of sixteen, and is the shortest girl of the crew, even shorter than Shiki and Chloe. Her attitude however was nothing short of her personality. She was around Five foot one, with long flowing sky blue hair. She had three pink flowers tied to a strand of hair that served to frame her cute face. She had bright green eyes, and a light complexion. She was often seen wearing a black tank top, along with green short shorts and brown boots. She had a white long sleeved shirt, which she tied around her waist in case she ever got cold. No one knows if her hair color is natural or not, but she claims that she was born with sky blue hair. Serina is currently the Engineer of Theta, following the sinking of the Shimakaze after her battle against the Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna.


	7. Meet the Fleet

**A/N: Hi guys, I'm just going to post the rest of the Meet the Fleet Chapter, this one focusing mostly on the Fog vessels that are under Jonas's command. I tried to keep them as close to the classification as possible, but for ships like the Shimakaze who don't have a Fog counterpart, that I know of, it was a little hard to find her information and what she could do with Fog technology, so I just used the information that was readily available and added what I think would suit her best as a Fleet of Fog Destroyer. The same goes for Isuzu who is a hybrid ship after having salvaged the hull of a sunken Nagara-Class vessel. Hopefully this will give you guys more information on the ships, though only 1 is currently in active duty as the others are either acting as Sub-Processors, are missing their hulls or are at the Emerald Eagle Home Port. I hope you guys like this, make sure to review and leave a like.**

Meet the Fleet

Part 2

The Fleet

 **Green Fleet: Mental Models working for the Emerald Eagles.**

The following will be a list of Mental models currently under the command of Jonas Rongil. All of them serve under the Emerald Eagle Fleet and will listen only to Jonas or his crew members.

 **Fleet of Fog:** ** _Japanese Destroyer Shimakaze_**

 **Class:** ** _Destroyer_**

 **Displacement:** ** _2,570 long tons (2,610t) (standard)_**

 _ **3,300 long tons (3,400t) (full load)**_

 **Length:** ** _129.5m (424ft 10in)_**

 **Beam:** ** _11.2m (36ft 9in)_**

 **Draft:** ** _4.15m (13ft 7in)_**

 **Maximum Speed:** ** _60 knots (On Surface) 40 Knots (Submerged)_**

 **Life Boats:** ** _x14(Graviton Powered) 4 (Collapsible) 6(Inflatable Rafts)_**

 **Armament:** ** _34x Photon Cannons_**

 _ **8 frontal torpedo tubes, 1-4 on Port Bow, 5-8 on Starboard Bow**_

 _ **27 Missile launchers, 1-14 on Port Side Deck, 15-27 on Starboard Side Deck**_

 _ **Depth Charges x8**_

 _ **Thanatonium Warheads x22(Full Load)**_

 _ **Regular Warheads x80(Full Load)**_

 _ **Infrasonic Charges x8**_

 _ **Countermeasure Missile Pods x10 (Each Pod fires 12 short range missiles)**_

 _ **Klein Field Generators x8 (x12 Full Load)**_

 **Float Planes:** ** _x3 (One Active, Two in Pod Form)_**

 **Float Plane Specifications:**

 **Model:** ** _SC Sea Hawk Scout Sea Plane_**

 **Length:** ** _36 ft 4 ½ in (11.08 m)_**

 **Wingspan:** ** _41 ft 0 in (12.49m)_**

 **Height:** ** _16 ft 0 in (4.87m)_**

 **Wing Area:** ** _280 ft (26.01 m)_**

 **Empty Weight:** ** _6,320lbs (2,867 kg)_**

 **Loaded Weight:** ** _9,000lbs (4,082 kg)_**

 **Power Source:** ** _x1 Graviton R-1820 62 Cyclone Supercharged 9 Cylinder radial engine._**

 **Wave Force Armor:** ** _(Plane) Yes (Moderate and must be maintained by a Mental Model)_**

 **Maximum Speed:** ** _313Mph (272 knots at 28,600 ft)_**

 **Cruiser Speed:** ** _125Mph (113 knots)_**

 **Armament:** ** _x2 Photon .50 M2 Browning Machine Guns capable of firing concentrated blasts of energy. Can overheat if used continuously._**

 **Bombs:** ** _x2 Thanatonium Warheads (Weight: 325lbs)(125 kg)_**

 **Wave Force Armor** ** _(Vessel): Yes_**

 **Super Gravity Cannon:** ** _Yes_**

 **Full Burst Mode:** ** _Yes_**

 **Propulsion:** ** _Graviton Engine/ Type S x102_**

 **Mental Model:** ** _Single Core G-I (OTOME Plug-in)_**

 **Status Among Fleet:** ** _Flagship of the Emerald Eagles_**

 **Current Status of Her Hull:** ** _Sunk by Fast Battleship Kirishima and Fast Battleship Haruna._**

Shimakaze, or Shiki as she is known by her friends, is the Mental Model of the Japanese Destroyer Shimakaze. Once being part of the battle that ended all global maritime commerce, she was reduced by to a mere Patrol Vessel by her previous Flagship, the Fast Battleship Hyuuga. The years following the war were rather boring for her, having nothing specifically to do. The Supreme Flagship had ordered them all to learn from humans, so that they could be more suited to battle should the need arise. Thus she developed her own Mental Model, taking the look of a young woman of sixteen, with long waist length blonde hair. She wears a sleeveless white shirt with blue stripes that leaves her midriff exposed, a matching red skirt that reaches down to her mid thigh and exposes her behind. She also wears matching gray and black stockings and red high heels. She wears a black ribbon on her head that looks like bunny ears.

Shiki was always interested in learning more about humans, the more time she spent watching human settlements, the more she became entranced by them, to the point where she wanted to be human. While the others in the Fog thought it was a bit odd and figured she had an abnormality in her program, Hyuuga encouraged her to keep gathering information, thus leading her to sometimes leave her hull in pursuit of information on land, always telling herself that it was just "Business" and that she wouldn't spend long.

Even though she was curious about humans, she never once set foot on a populated island, sticking only to ones abandoned before the end of the war. She found countless items, including books and other trinkets which she keeps in her personal quarters. One day, she was caught by one of her superiors and was ordered to Patrol the sea bordering the Hawaiian Islands as punishment. This of course would be her undoing, as she was subdued by a human, who would later become her captain.

Even though she is a Mental Model of the Fleet of Fog, she considers herself human. During the first year with Jonas and the crew, she was a bit quiet but started developing her own personality. She is sometimes hyperactive and wants nothing more than to explore unknown regions of the world. She always tries to settle things peacefully with her crew and will always make contact with an enemy ship before sinking her, just in case the enemy wants a second chance. She also loves sweets, Pistachio Ice Cream being her all time favorite.

There are a lot of things she doesn't understand, like her purpose of creation and status among the Fleet of Fog, but she reassures herself and her friends by saying she was created solely to be the Flagship of Jonas's fleet, as silly as it sounds. Now that she has spent time with humans, she wholeheartedly regrets taking part in the war, and will always deliver flowers to the graves of those lost in battle.

She is currently acting as Theta's sub-processor after having lost her hull in a battle against Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna. She is annoyed at being demoted from her Flagship status, but Jonas reassured that it was only temporary. She likes teasing Serina quite a lot, especially when it comes to breast size. She'll sometimes use her active nanomaterials to create bigger breasts for herself just to annoy her.

Shiki has also shown interest in playing Classical Music and has her own Violin, though she admits she's terrible at it. Her Violin is special, since it was created by her, it will always play on key and will always sound perfect, even if her playing isn't.

 **Fleet of Fog:** ** _Heavy Light Cruiser_** ** _Isuzu (Name Ship)_**

 **Class:** ** _Takao/Nagara hybrid class_**

 **Displacement** ** _15,030 (After absorbing Alpha a "Nagara-class" Light Cruiser)_**

 **Length:** ** _203.76 m_**

 **Beam:** ** _20.73 m_**

 **Draft:** ** _9.32 m_**

 **Maximum Speed:** ** _90+ knots (Surfaced) 40 knots (Submerged)_**

 **Armament:**

 _ **x34 Torpedo tubes (Tubes 1-10 on Front Bow)**_

 _ **x73 Photon Cannons**_

 _ **x89 Vertical Missile Launchers**_

 _ **x3 High Angle Lasers (Looted from Alpha)**_

 _ **x8 Depth Charges**_

 **Super Gravity Cannon:** ** _Yes_**

 **Wave Force Armor:** ** _Yes (Very Strong, especially after absorbing Alpha)_**

 **Propulsion:** ** _Graviton Engine/ S 102_**

 **Full Burst Mode:** ** _N/A_**

 **Mental Model:** ** _Single_** ** _Core G-I x1_**

 **Fleet of Fog:** ** _Nagara-Class Union Core (Call Sign: Alpha) Was absorbed into her mental model and ceased all activity until she regains her ship body._**

 **Float Planes:** ** _x1 Active Float Plane: Currently Part of Shimakaze's Flight Deck_**

 **Model:** ** _SC Sea Hawk Scout Sea Plane_**

 **Length:** ** _36 ft 4 ½ in (11.08 m)_**

 **Wingspan:** ** _41 ft 0 in (12.49m)_**

 **Height:** ** _16 ft 0 in (4.87m)_**

 **Wing Area:** ** _280 ft (26.01 m)_**

 **Empty Weight:** ** _6,320lbs (2,867 kg)_**

 **Loaded Weight:** ** _9,000lbs (4,082 kg)_**

 **Power Source:** ** _x1 Graviton R-1820 62 Cyclone Supercharged 9 Cylinder radial engine._**

 **Wave Force Armor:** ** _(Plane) Yes (Moderate and must be maintained by a Mental Model)_**

 **Maximum Speed:** ** _313Mph (272 knots at 28,600 ft)_**

 **Cruiser Speed:** ** _125Mph (113 knots)_**

 **Status Among Fleet:** ** _Sub-Processor of the Shimakaze/Flight Deck Operator._**

 **Status of her Hull:** ** _Sunk by the Shimakaze's 400 Nautical Miles from the Port of New Taipei: Taiwan_**

The Heavy Light Cruiser Isuzu was once just a simple Heavy Cruiser. She used to work in the the First Oriental Fleet of Fog under the Flagship Hyuuga. After the war, she was assigned to patrol the Philippines. As a member of the Fog, Isuzu was content with her role, thinking that she was a part of something bigger in the grand scheme of things. She was ordered to learn more about humans and thus developed a mental model. Her appearance changed slightly after joining Jonas and his crew.

She takes the form of a young woman in her mid to late teens, with fair colored skin and bright green eyes. She has long raven black hair, which she keeps up in twin tails with two silky white ribbons. She wears a sleeveless sailor shirt, with a bright green ascot, which bears the insignia of the Emerald Eagles. She wears a pair of short detached sleeves that reach to her biceps and are secured onto her arms with green threads. She wears a matching green skirt, along with a pair of white stockings, which have the Emerald Eagle insignia on the sides. She also wears a pair of light green slippers.

She was one of the first to hear about Shimakaze's betrayal and set out on her own persona mission to ask why she had left. Isuzu had considered her a close friend and felt betrayed by her actions. While steaming toward the islands of Hawaii, she received a call sign from the Nagara Light Cruiser Alpha, and was informed that she had struck a reef and that the humans near Singapore had taken the chance to sink her. Changing her course, Isuzu steamed toward the distant island nation and dealt with them accordingly, absorbing Alpha's Union Core and remaining armament into her own, while also salvaging a few parts from the doomed ship.

As she was steaming toward the Resupply and Repair Vessel Shiretoko, she got a ping on her sonar, and when she identified the call sign as that of the Shimakaze, she changed her course to meet up with her. However she got nervous and ended up waging and attack on her and her crew, which ultimately ended in the loss of her hull. After having jumped from her sinking ship, she swam toward the Shimakaze and clung onto her anchor, in hopes that she could take out Captain Jonas Rongil, but was instead intercepted by Shiki herself. She was instead welcomed into the crew with open arms and was made the Flight Deck Operator. She also acts as Shiki's Sub-Processor.

Now that she has free time, Isuzu has developed a new sense of direction and self awareness that she didn't know she had. She has also become much happier and livelier and has taken an interest in literature. She often times reads some of the books Chloe keeps in her personal collection and has started her own Romance novel, which only Shiki is aware of. She allows her friend and sister figure to correct her grammar, though often times she changes a few things to suit her tastes, and it ends up making Isuzu blush cherry red.

She is currently acting as Theta's sub-processor following the sinking of the Shimakaze. She also maintains the Shimakaze's remaining active float plane and is the one responsible for maintaining its Wave Force Armor and Course during flight, allowing the pilot to make full use of firearms.

Isuzu also happens to be the middle sister in the Takao-class of ships. Takao is her older sister, Mayais her younger sister. She never really spoke much to Takao, but she often times spoke to the Fast Battleship Hiei about the current status of the fleet. Takao and Maya stopped all communications with her after absorbing Alpha into her hull, saying she had disgraced them by becoming a hybrid ship. She enjoys teasing Takao and reminding her that she got her ass handed to her by a Surveillance Submarine with less weapons and armaments than she does. She has yet to make amends with Maya.

 **Fleet of Fog:** ** _Repair and Resupply Vessel Shiretoko_**

 **Class:** ** _Notoro-Class Oiler_**

 **Displacement:** ** _15,400 long tons (15,647 t) Standing_**

 **Length:** ** _138.60 m_**

 **Beam:** ** _17.68 m_**

 **Draught:** ** _8.08 m_**

 **Maximum Speed:** ** _30 knots (Unable to Submerge)_**

 **Propulsion:** ** _Graviton Engine/ S x48_**

 **Armament:**

 _ **x4 Photon Cannons**_

 _ **x16 Missile Tubes**_

 _ **x8 Torpedo Tubes**_

 **Wave Force Armor:** ** _Yes (Very Strong Due to her Status as a Resupply and Repair Vessel)_**

 **Mental Model:** ** _Single Core G-I x1_**

 **Super Gravity Cannon:** ** _N/A_**

 **Full Burst Mode:** ** _N/A_**

 **Status Among Fleet:** ** _Repair and Resupply Vessel/ Manager of the Emerald Eagle Home Port in Rota Island_**

Shiretoko was once a Resupply and Repair Vessel for the Fleet of Fog, handling the orders for all of the ships in the First Oriental Fleet. She was much too content with helping her fellow vessels and would always lend a helping hand when it came time to repair them. Being a Resupply Vessel, she has the ability to craft Nanomaterial from absorbing sea water. She also has the ability to mine minerals and ore deep within the ocean floor in order to create much stronger weapons and nanomaterial. Since she is also a Repair Vessel, she has the specifications of every Fleet of Fog Vessel within her assigned Fleet, allowing her to craft weapons and armament for specific ships. Even though she lacks armament, she has an infinite supply of Nanomaterial, meaning she can always create more Thanatonium warheads and other weapons. She can also create more Photon Cannons on her upper deck, but has a hard time maintaining them if she's being constantly attacked.

Due to her low speed, she was asked to stay docked and stationed at what was once a military base in Okinawa Japan. She has an entourage of Nagara Light Cruisers at her disposal, which help defend her from enemy ships and also guards her if she has to change positions. However due to a scuffle up north, six of her eight Nagara vessels had to leave in order to assist the Flagship, leaving her only with two, Beta and Theta.

She was attacked by the Shimakaze shortly after they left Taiwan under the direction of the newly appointed Flight Deck Operator, Isuzu. Shiretoko felt betrayed and vulnerable, so with no choice she had to wage an attack in order to survive. The battle was long and arduous, but in the end, the enemy managed to sink Beta and Theta and forced her to hand over her Root Access codes. Shiretoko admit defeat and was welcomed into the Emerald Eagle Fleet, and was instantly made the Manager of their Home Port, which had yet to be built and established.

Shiretoko didn't do much before her battle with Shimakaze, and was content with helping her fellow ships. She crafted her own mental model out of curiosity, seeing as most of the other ships had made their own, she wanted to fit in, and thus created it in the image she felt most comfortable in.

She had adapted herself to look like a fifteen year old girl, with creamy white skin that shined in the sunlight. She had long brown hair that reached to her waist, along with bright chocolate brown eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless dress with black shoulder straps. The dress was a hot pink in color, with black and white lines forming sideways squares, giving it a plaid look. The front of the dress had thick black buttons on it, along with two thick black strips that ran down the bodice of the dress. It had a two layer frilly pink skirt, with a ruffled black hem which ended just above the mid thigh. She wore black thigh high stockings with matching black combat boots, with hot pink laces. She wore a matching plaid ribbon on her hair, with a thick black bow on it, which was adorned with a black rose. She had a choker around her neck, which had a silver buckle on it, tied to it was a small heart shaped pendant which was pink in color.

Now that she has left the Fleet, she has gained a new purpose in life. Not only is she the Manager of the Emerald Eagle Home Port, but she is also able to truly test the boundaries of her Processing power. Not only was she able to remake the entirety of Rota Island, but she also turned it into a resort of sorts, creating an artificial beach and an apartment complex that spanned below ground in order to protect her crew. Rota Island's Dry Dock is also underground and is capable of holding seven ships, including her own massive hull. She has retrofitted the island with Photon Cannons, Torpedo Tubes, Surface-to Surface systems and every kind of armament imaginable, just so she could keep her crew safe. This also alerted the nearby government in Guam who was confused as to why a Fog vessel had taken interest in an abandoned island. They were attempting to sail to it, but Beta stationed herself between the island aiming her guns in their direction. Shiretoko likes being called "Tohka" by her close friends. She is currently on Rota Island acting as the Harbor Master and creating munitions for her crew's eventual return home.

 **Fleet of Fog:** ** _Light Cruiser Alpha_**

 **Class:** ** _Nagara-Class Light Cruiser_**

 **Displacement:** ** _6,010 tons_**

 **Length:** ** _162.1 m_**

 **Beam:** ** _14.2 m_**

 **Draft:** ** _4.8 m_**

 **Maximum Speed:** ** _60 knots (Unable to Submerge)_**

 **Propulsion:** ** _Graviton Engine S/ 102_**

 **Armament:**

 _ **x6 Photon Cannons**_

 _ **x12 Torpedo Tubes**_

 _ **x3 High Angle Lasers**_

 _ **20 Vertical Missile Launchers**_

 _ **Close Combat System**_

 **Wave Force Armor:** ** _Yes_**

 **Super Gravity Cannon:** ** _N/A_**

 **Full Burst Mode:** ** _N/A_**

 ** _Mental Model: Single Core G-I which is Maintained by Shiretoko (2% Processing Power) (Once Activated)_**

 **Status Among Fleet:** ** _Undecided_**

 **Current Status:** ** _Her Hull sunk near Singapore and her Union Core is currently dormant within Isuzu._**

Not Much is known about Alpha, other than what her sisters Beta and Theta have shared with everyone. She was the leader of the three sisters and kept the two of them in line. She was also the first to be assigned as Shiretoko's guard. She was given an unclassified mission which lead to her foundering near the nation of Singapore.

 **Fleet of Fog:** ** _Light Cruiser Beta_**

 **Class:** ** _Nagara-Class Light Cruiser_**

 **Displacement:** ** _6,010 tons_**

 **Length:** ** _162.1 m_**

 **Beam:** ** _14.2 m_**

 **Draft:** ** _4.8 m_**

 **Maximum Speed:** ** _60 knots (Unable to Submerge)_**

 **Propulsion:** ** _Graviton Engine S/ 102_**

 **Armament:**

 _ **x6 Photon Cannons**_

 _ **x12 Torpedo Tubes**_

 _ **x3 High Angle Lasers**_

 _ **20 Vertical Missile Launchers**_

 _ **Close Combat System**_

 **Wave Force Armor:** ** _Yes_**

 **Super Gravity Cannon:** ** _N/A_**

 **Full Burst Mode:** ** _N/A_**

 **Mental Model:** ** _Single Core G-I which is Maintained by Shiretoko (2% Processing Power)_**

 **Status Among Fleet:** ** _Stationed between Guam and Rota Islands, and acts as a defensive barrier against the Fog._**

Beta is a Nagara-Class Light Cruiser who was part of Shiretoko's entourage. Her previous mission was to keep Shiretoko safe from any would be attackers. During the war, Beta, along with her older sister Alpha and her little sister Theta were part of a defense force that took out multiple human ships. After the war, the three sisters were assigned as patrol cruisers, later reassigned by Hyuuga to protect Shiretoko. She was distraught when her sister Alpha sunk after being attacked by humans, and wanted to head to her straight away, but Shiretoko and Theta told her it was too late to save her. She was at least relieved when Isuzu salvaged her sister's core, which is now dormant within her. When her sister ships were called away, Beta had originally intended to go with them, but instead decided to stay with Shiretoko and continue her guard mission. Eventually, she was sunk by Shimakaze just outside of Okinawa. She is currently working as one of Shiretoko's assistants in Rota Island and is responsible for the West half of the island's defense systems. She also has her hull stationed between Guam and Rota Islands, in order to keep curious humans away from Emerald Eagle's Home Port.

Since her mental model is maintained by Shiretoko, who uses 2% of her processing power to keep her stable. Due to this she didn't have much choice in what she would look like, but she agreed to become the identical twin of Theta.

She takes the appearance of a young girl, aged fourteen, with long crimson hair, which is held up in twin tails with white ribbons. She has soft colored ivory skin. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt, with a short length frilly black skirt. She also wears a pair of white boots, with crimson laces. She also has bright eyes, the irises being a milky white color, which served to unnerve her crew, but she and her sister seem to like it. Beta is the quieter of the three sisters, with Alpha previously being the leader, and Theta being the sassy of the three. She enjoys painting in her off time and has actually painted most of the art that is located throughout the Emerald Eagle home port. She also likes reading manga and is currently attempting to draw her own characters, though she is failing horribly, even with her artistic talents.

 **Fleet of Fog:** ** _Light Cruiser Theta_**

 **Class:** ** _Nagara-Class Light Cruiser_**

 **Displacement:** ** _6,010 tons_**

 **Length:** ** _162.1 m_**

 **Beam:** ** _14.2 m_**

 **Draft:** ** _4.8 m_**

 **Maximum Speed:** ** _60 knots (Unable to Submerge)_**

 **Propulsion:** ** _Graviton Engine S/ 102_**

 **Armament:**

 _ **x6 Photon Cannons**_

 _ **x12 Torpedo Tubes**_

 _ **x3 High Angle Lasers**_

 _ **20 Vertical Missile Launchers**_

 _ **Close Combat System**_

 **Wave Force Armor:** ** _Yes_**

 **Super Gravity Cannon:** ** _Yes (Salvaged from Shiretoko's sunken Hull)_**

 **Full Burst Mode:** ** _N/A_**

 ** _Mental Model: Single Core G-I which is Maintained by Shiretoko (2% Processing Power)_**

Theta is the third and final sister ship of the Nagara-Class Light Cruisers, related to Alpha and Beta. Each group of Nagara vessels is split in three, each of them being a separate group of sister ships, unrelated to another group. Even among ships of her class, Theta was different. She was sassy, snarky and confident in her abilities. She kept begging the Flagships for a mental model but was never allowed to have on, as they deemed she didn't need one. Alpha, Beta and Theta were assigned their patrol routes, and were later given a new mission, to protect Shiretoko.

While Alpha and Beta took their jobs seriously, Theta was always half paying attention to her job. She figured she could be a bit lazy, since there were eight ships and no one would dare attack a Resupply Vessel. When Alpha struck a reef and was attacked by humans, her sister Beta wanted to rush to her aid, but Theta felt it best to keep to their assignment, as Alpha was lost already. She was relieved when Isuzu confirmation having rescued Alpha's core, which now lies dormant within her. It wasn't long before six of the eight Nagara vessels were called north, and she chose to stay with Beta to protect Shiretoko.

She was of course, attacked by the Shimakaze and had her hull damaged by her. She and Beta were undergoing repairs with the assistance of Shiretoko, but Shimakaze's relentless barrage made the Resupply vessel take drastic measures, and thus she sunk to the bottom of the sea with her sister. Both of their Union cores were salvaged by Shiretoko and she was finally given her own mental model, which runs on 2% of Shiretoko's processing power.

She had chosen to look like a girl, who was in her early teens, fourteen, with soft colored ivory skin. She was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, with tight fitting white shorts and matching red heels. She had long crimson hair, tied into twin tails with black ribbons. She also had bright eyes, the irises being a milky white color, something that had been off putting the first time they saw it, but now they had grown used to it. She felt more like a tomboy than a girly girl, and thus never really wore skirts, though she does like heels and is often times seen wearing various pairs.

Theta is the sassy one of the three sisters, being outspoken and quite boisterous. While Beta is quiet, she is loud and hates how quiet it gets. She is often times listening to music and learning how to play guitar so that she can start her own band, something that she wanted to do after listening to the music on Nick's phone. She was the first of the three sisters to have her hull repaired, and was made the unofficial Supply ship of the Emerald Eagles. She is currently the Flagship of the Fleet following the loss of Shimakaze's hull.

Theta is also one of the chief weapons designers for the Emerald Eagle, and will often times sit down with Shiretoko, Nick and Taco and discuss various types of armaments and things they could improve. Thanks to them, Shiretoko has been able to craft some new weapons, including a Photon Rifle, the first of its kind, a Photon Blade, modeled after Light Sabers, and a small handgun capable of firing thanatonium bullets, which is used to damage man made surface armament and land based vehicles. She has also created portable Klein Field Generators which can shield her crew from all attacks, though they saturate rather quickly. If maintained by a mental model with enough processing power, it will last as long as the Wave Force Armor of a regular Fog Vessel.


	8. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 6 of Arpeggio of Blue Steel. Last Chapter, we witnessed Shimakaze sink thanks to Kirishima and Haruna, two Fast Battleships of the Fleet of Fog. However, Jonas and his crew aren't going to take this lying down. No, they have a plan, a plan that will ultimately become his reason to sink the two battleships that stranded his crew in the ocean for a few brief moments. This chapter will introduce several new characters, including the Flagship of the First Oriental Fleet, the Fast Battleship Kongou, as well has the Heavy Cruiser Maya. I hope you are all liking the story so far. I can't thank you enough for reading and reviewing.**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 6

Having successfully taken down one of their targets, the Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna had decided to tell their superior about their victory. Thus they found themselves at the pavilion, waiting patiently for their superior and Flagship to answer the call. While Haruna was calm and collected, her sister Kirishima was rather anxious. Having set course for Yokosuka and their second target, she wanted to hurry up and reach the Japanese Port so that she could take out the traitorous wretch. She muttered something under her breath, causing Haruna to glance at her, bright green eyes filled with curiosity.

"Kirishima, is something wrong?" she asked, earning a slight yelp of surprise from the brunette.

"Um...not exactly. I'm anxious...I just want to hurry up and sink 401 already." she said firmly.

"It is unbecoming of a Fleet of Fog vessel to act this way. I understand you would like to make haste and sink our enemy, but for now we must await further orders." Haruna replied firmly.

"Jeez, you are still a stick in the mud aren't you?" the taller woman said, earning an eyeroll from her sister.

"Kirishima, Haruna...I appreciate your patience." a smooth emotionless voice said, startling the two sister ships.

Before them now sat a young woman, who seemed to be in her early twenties. She had long pale blonde hair, styled into two spiky buns, leaving two long strands to frame her face. She has very pale skin, and bright crimson colored eyes. She was wearing pale blue lipstick and very little make up on her face. She was wearing a long violet ballgown, with a long train that trailed behind her. She wore a pair of dark panty hose, along with matching violet heels. She glanced at her two subordinates, an emotionless mask on her face.

"Jeez, don't do that. You startled me." Kirishima snapped, her hand was over her chest, and she was panting a bit. Kongou merely rose a brow, and reached for her cup of tea, taking a small sip from it.

"Am I too assume you've completed your mission?" she asked after a brief pause. Haruna nodded and opened up her video feed, sending the link to Kongou.

"The IJN Shimakaze has been taken care of. Her Captain and crew ended up deploying their life boats and they are currently adrift 700 nautical miles from the Port city of Yokosuka. We are en-route to complete are previous assignment."

"Her crew survived? Just what drives them to follow the leader ship of a human? We must make sure all abnormalities within the Fog are taken care of. I shall send Maya to fetch them." She said simply.

"Are you sure that's a wise idea? Maya is rather excitable, she might end up running them over. I believe their captain is someone we could use to our advantage, after all he is aligned with the Fog, and a branded pirate." Haruna said.

"While there is a cause for concern when involving Maya, I fully trust that she can handle this endeavor. I received news from Hiei, saying that I-400 and I-402 went after Takao, it seems she was steaming north of us and I wanted to make sure she wasn't getting in trouble. Another abnormality from meeting with humans." she stated firmly.

"Kongou...we will be arriving in Yokosuka several hours past sundown, it will be the appropriate time to take care of the enemy. For now we shall focus on that task." Haruna said.

"Indeed, as you were then. If you find anymore information on the crew of the Shimakaze, do not hesitate to share it with me." the blonde woman said, earning a nod from her sister ship. A second later, they were gone, leaving her once again alone.

"What an interesting development. Maya."

"Yes Kongou." Answered the peppy voice of her closest friend.

The Heavy Cruiser Maya was one of Kongou's subordinates as well as a very close friend. Whenever they had the chance they would always come together for tea, and she would listen to Maya rant on about random things. However when she needed a job done, she didn't trust anyone else.

Maya's mental model took the appearance of a young girl nearing her twenties, with waist length dark brown hair. She has fair colored skin and bright cerulean eyes. She was known for changing her clothes frequently, but she was always seen with something pink. She was currently wearing a light pink dress, with a dark pinkish red corset. The skirt of the dress had layers, the top being a light pink color while the bottom faded into a darker red, and had a frilly white hem. She wore a large ribbon around her waist, tied into a bow at the front. She was wearing a crimson colored half cloak around her shoulders, keeping the hood down. It was tied around her neck with a light colored ribbon. On the side of the dress was a large smiley face badge, which also acted as a purse of sorts. She was wearing a pair of long pink and red thigh high socks with a pair of maroon colored boots.

Without a second thought, the young girl reached for the still steaming kettle and poured herself a cup of tea, a bright grin on her face.

"Hey Kongou, did you know in Russia they put Jam in their tea?" she said, earning an interested look from her friend.

"Jam?"

"It's called preserves! It's made with berries and fruits." she said, glancing at her specs, her eyes glossing over the information before her.

"Why would anyone do that?" Kongou asked, she wasn't truthfully interested, but she would always humor the girl.

"I'm not sure...but I think it would be more trendy then using these cubes." she said, holding a pink sugar cube up for a second before dropping it into her cup with a soft plink.

"You are aware of our current standings, correct?" Kongou asked firmly.

"Of course! I'm always aware of what Kongou is doing."

"Excellent, I want you to head to the last known location of the Shimakaze and pick up their crew. I would like to see them myself." she said.

"Kongou...I would never disagree with anything you do but...are you sure that's a good idea? Contact with humans changed Shimakaze, it changed my meanie big sis Isuzu, and look at what happened to Takao." she said, a hint of seriousness in her voice. It wasn't beyond Maya to understand when something serious was going on, but seeing her act like that, it made Kongou a bit happy. She gave the girl a silent nod.

"While it isn't ideal, I would like to see them personally, so I can rid the fleet of all abnormalities. Those two, along with Shiretoko and the Nagara triplets have left the fleet and joined with humans. 401 is partially to blame, she was the first of the Fog to defect to their side."

"Hmm...is that why you sent those two on their way? Hey would that be considered tactics?" Maya asked curiously. She grabbed several more sugar cubes and dumped them into her cup, crushing them with her spoon.

"Tactics? Tactics were once foreign to us. There was a time where we pushed humanity to the brink of extinction with power alone. Had they possessed the same degree of weaponry as the Fleet of Fog, we wouldn't have stood a chance against their tactics."

"Oh...it's too sweet!" she cried out, cringing a bit. She took another dainty sip of her tea, feeling the small grains of sugar passing through her lips.

"Humanity has shown us a lot. We have made great strides in recent years, developed these bodies to better understand them. In doing so we also developed egos, and got a better understanding of tactics. Humans have nothing further to offer us." Kongou said firmly, looking at her own reflection in her tea.

"That might be true..but they do have interesting things, including musical instruments. I wanna see a pipe organ, it's like a piano but bigger!" Maya stated, a grin on her face. Kongou took another sip of her tea, glancing at her friend in mild curiosity.

"If we continue to indulge ourselves in this way, we will start to change, and there is no need to change for us. We no longer need to observe the 401 nor the Shimakaze. We have taken care of one, it is time we take care of the other. Then everything will be right again."

"Kongou is always right! We don't need to change like meanie Takao and Isuzu! So I will pick up the crew of the Shimakaze and put them in the brig!" she said happily, ending the communication. Kongou sighed, looking at the palm of her hand.

"Be safe Maya. Humans can be deceitful creatures."

xxx

It had only been a few hours after the sinking of the Shimakaze's hull, but Jonas had been fully alert. Having only slept for three hours after boarding Theta, he and his crew worked meticulously to plan out their course of action. Steaming at half speed, Theta would reach the Port of Yokosuka at around 9PM Standard Japan Time. Everyone was currently on the bridge, while while small, had enough room to accommodate everyone nicely. Having reconstituted her original fittings, Theta now had the same stations that were aboard the Shimakaze, though in different positions around the ship. The large screen displaying the real time map was right over the glass windows that made the parlor of the bridge. The Countermeasures station was now to the left, while the Sonar station took the center and the Weapons and Armament station took the right side of the bridge. Since she was a vessel of the Fog that ran under her own union core, there was no need for traditional wheels and other mechanisms found on man made ships, which allowed everyone to have more space.

In the center of the room was a large table with a holographic touch screen panel on it, that took the entire surface of the table. Not only was it displaying their current position, but it also showed them the sonar, as well as their current armament and the speed and heading they were taking. Jonas was sitting at the head of the table, with Shiki and Isuzu standing by his sides. To his left sat Miku, and standing by her side was Theta who was still overseeing the operations of the ship. Across from Miku stat Chloe and next to her was Nick, who was contently drinking from a can of Mountain Dew. Beside Miku sat Taco, who had a worried look on his face, finally Serina sat across from him, a bright blue nail file in her hand. After a few more minutes of silence, Jonas cleared his throat.

"As we are all well aware, we lost our hull this morning at the hands of the Fast Battleships Kirishima and Haruna. Both of them are currently sailing at full speed toward Yokosuka's Port. Our mission is to protect the I-401 from attacks until she makes it to her home port in Iwoto. She will be carrying a very important weapon, the vibration warhead, a missile developed by the Japanese Government." he said.

"This warhead is also said to be humanity's last hope. Japan has run out of materials to produce them enmass, so they have asked the 401 and her crew to deliver it to San Diego California. We not only have to protect 401, but we must ensure that the Vibration warhead makes it safely to America. Originally, we were supposed to escort her to Iwoto, but me and Jonas agreed to finish the job and escort her to America." Miku said, glancing firmly at her crew mates. Serina huffed, leaning back in her chair.

"When did we become an escort vessel?" she asked.

"When we were tasked with saving humanity. We've been raised in a closed world, and now we have the chance to change the status quo. Sure, it will hurt other Fog vessels if it is ever used, but we will have an equal standing with the Fog for the first time since before the war. We will be able to talk as equals, become friends. For that I am willing to risk it all, even go back to America." Jonas said firmly.

"Aye, I'm with you captain. I'll follow you to hell and back." Nick said firmly.

"Same here, I got nothing left too lose mate." Taco said right after. Serina sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, besides I've always wanted to see the American continent." she said with smile.

"Okay, since we are all in agreement we must begin planning our actual attack. Kirishima and Haruna are Fleet of Fog Battleships, meaning their armaments are way more adept for battles than that of a Heavy Cruiser, as we all clearly saw. However, we have the advantage this time, they believe we are adrift in the ocean, so we have the element of surprise, but for this to work, two of us will have to take the Plane and fly to Yokosuka." Jonas said.

"I volunteer, I am the Flight Deck manager and have knowledge on piloting the float planes, I can also maintain the Klein field in case we do get attacked." Isuzu said, earning a nod from Jonas.

"Then I shall go with you. Once we make it to land, we must find and make contact with Chihaya Gunzou and his crew. For this plan to work, we must explain everything to them so that they are ready to engage in battle with them." Jonas said.

"This is crazy, you intend to fly to Japan and track down the crew of a surveillance submarine to explain this little plan of ours? Do you even know Japanese?" Theta asked, glancing at her captain.

"Of course, all of us do. Thanks to our time in Naval Academy, we were able to pick up on different languages in case we ended up teaming up with other navies. The only one who doesn't know Japanese here is Taco, because he grew up in Australia." Nick said.

"Guilty as charged, I'm half Japanese but don't know the language." he said, giving everyone a sheepish grin.

"Alright, I suppose that clears that up. So what's the plan then captain?" Theta asked, earning a smile from Jonas.

"Alright, it's quite simple. Kirishima and Haruna will most likely arrive several hours from now, maybe two or three after sundown. We can assume that will be around seven or eight o'clock PM. The Port City of Yokosuka has a large wall that keeps out all outside ships and you need authorization from the port authority to actually come inside the walls. Those two will definitely attack." Jonas said.

"How do you figure? They could lie in wait couldn't they?" Chloe asked.

"Girls, the Admirality Code is the highest directive correct?" Jonas asked.

"Yes, it is above even the Supreme Flagship. It holds our orders and tells us what to do, currently the only thing we know is that it wanted us to stop global maritime and aerial commerce around the world and cut off humans from the oceans." Shiki stated.

"It also said not to attack human settlements correct?"

"Indeed, we for whatever reason were told not to attack humans unless they were on vessels on the open ocean or directly attacking us. It does however allow collateral damage." Isuzu said.

"If they enter the city by force, anyone living near the sea will get hurt. The old city of Yokosuka has fallen below the waves, it makes the perfect battleground for the I-401 and her crew." Miku said.

"It also makes it easier on us. It won't be easy going in undetected but this is where the Float plane comes in. I received information from Shiretoko earlier this morning, specifications for planes that belong to the USS George Washington." he said, opening the file on the screen in front of them. He clicked on an image and expanded it, showing everyone the plans for the planes that were part of that ship's armament.

"Whoa...F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons. These planes are legit, and since they are made with Fog technology, it will make them that much harder to destroy." Nick said, completely impressed by what he was seeing.

"Exactly. Currently we only have enough nanomaterial to craft one F-15 Eagle with it's full armament and weapons, however this will require taking our two remaining float planes and several of our warheads in order to reconstitute and create it. One it is created, it will be turned into a pod and loaded into the SC Sea Hawk. Once me and Isuzu make it to Yokosuka, we will hand it over to the 401 where they will launch it." Jonas said firmly.

"I'll take over from there, controlling it as much as I can. Since I won't exactly be in battle, my Wave Force Armor will be far stronger than normal, as it won't take much processing power to maintain it and the Sea Hawk." she said.

"I see...you want to use the planes as a distraction to keep Kirishima and Haruna at bay, not only helping 401 out with her duty of sinking them, but also making it much harder for them to detect us. Nearly all of their focus will be on finding 401 and taking down the two planes, meaning they won't see us coming." Miku said, impressed with how the plan was turning out.

"Very nice...that's when we come in on Theta and start whamming the shit out of them!" Serina said.

"Wrong. You will come into Yokosuka's port and will be completely submerged. Thanks to our idea of salvaging Shimakaze's parts, Theta gained the ability to submerge, however she can't stay like that forever. While me and Isuzu make them focus on us, I want you guys to get into position here, north east of their positions." Jonas said, highlighting a specific spit within the barrier of the city.

"Assuming they stick together and close to each other that is. Comparing it to our previous battle, it seems this will be certain." Nick said, earning nods of agreement form his friends.

"After you guys make it within the city, you will wait for my signal. Isuzu will be within the 401 with her crew, when you get the chance, relay the information and I will issue the go ahead. Miku you have free range to decide how you attack and which arms you'll be using...I trust you." he said, looking firmly at his First Mate. She blushed brightly and gave him a firm nod.

"Leave it to me Captain, I will not disappoint you!" she said firmly.

"Okay...if this all works out, Kirishima and Haruna will be taken care of. Our personal vendetta will be fulfilled. Any questions?" Jonas asked. Shiki rose her dainty hand into the air, earning a curious look from everyone.

"Um...what about me Captain? What will I do?" she asked. He smiled, patting her hand.

"You will be here with Theta helping her out. It will be her first time with a crew, so I want you to help her and guide her so she can have a smooth time. Thrusting her into battle this soon isn't ideal, but with you here, everything will be just fine. Show her what it means to be a Flagship." he said. Shiki smiled, adopting a firm look.

"Alright, I'll do my very best to teach her the ropes! I won't fail you captain...I'm gonna go change my clothes, I need to look more like a Flagship and less like a skank!" she said firmly, racing out of the bridge. Serina giggled, shaking her head.

"Where the hell did she get that vocabulary? Just what are you teaching her captain?" She asked.

"It wasn't me, I would never call my friend a skank." he said.

"She must have gotten it from someone." Chloe teased, a smirk on her face.

"Anyway, one last thing I would like to address is the weapons that Shiretoko has crafted for us, Theta if you'd please." he said. She nodded, holding her hand out. She opened several new files on the table top, opening each one.

"These are the finalized weapons that were created after you left our home port. The first is a Photon Rifle modeled after the AR 15. It fired concentrated blasts of energy as well as thanatonium ammunition. It is designed virtually the same as the man made counter part, only it has it's own Photon generator, located on the stock of the weapon. When testing, this weapon grew quite hot, especially after fifty rounds, so we designed a water cooling system made with thermal clips. You place one of the silver magazines into it and press the button on the bottom, it will serve to cool the barrel and allow you to keep shooting. As long as it has power from the ship's engine, it will fire endlessly." Theta said, showing them the rifle.

As she had stated, it looked almost identical to an AR 15, only it was a bright green color and had various markings on it. It also had the Emerald Eagle insignia, the Eagle holding Thirteen olive branches in it's talons while taking off, on it. She also showed them the thermal clip, a silver magazine that could be inserted into the gun's receiver.

"Alright, what about for distance and long range shooting?" Taco asked.

"A holographic scope was designed to be mounted on the weapon. It works the same as an EoTech holographic sight, only it will act like a homing device. Once it has locked on target, one needs to just pull the trigger. It doesn't matter if the gun is off target, the blast will always hit home." Theta said firmly.

"Interesting...this is the best idea you've had yet Nick...proper job."

"Yeah fuck off Burrito, you are just jealous you didn't come up with it yourself." Nick said, ignoring the fact his friend had complimented him.

"Let's talk about the Thanatonium Bullets. I have yet to hear about these myself." Miku said. Theta nodded, pulling up the specs and design plans for her next piece of armament.

"Thanatonium bullets, crafted in much the same way as the bigger Thanatonium warheads. These are virtually smaller versions of the corrosive torpedoes that we fire at enemy ships. While small they have the power to easily penetrate the Klein field of a ship. However they are also easily countered. These are mostly to attack Mental Models and weaken them a bit. Of course this will also destroy a ship if their Union Core is damaged directly. When combined with Photon weapons, their power can be increased. We have crafted them in various cartridges, 9mm, .45 ACP, 5.56 and 7.62 rifle cartridges. We have also created .50 caliber ammunition for the long rifles mounted onto the sea plane but have yet to test them. We also came up with plans for Shotgun shells but ended up scrapping them when the corrosive bullets ended up exploding before leaving the barrel." she said.

"Well, at least we have these types of bullets. And we can use the guns we have now with them. This will help us quite a lot in the future." Jonas said.

"The final pieces of armament that we completed were more for close combat scenarios. The first was a Photon Sword. The handle was made out of an aluminum and steel alloy infused with nanomaterial. We found that by using this method, the Photon Generator within the hilt of the sword would be completely isolated and less likely to explode. We also used an ion core for the top which channels the energy and makes it take the appearance of a blade. This Photon Sword has the intensity of a Photon Cannon blast and reaches temperatures nearing those on the surface of the sun. However due to the ion core, it is completely safe for humans to use without the heat burning them. Of course if you are stabbed with it, you will be injured. They are capable of damaging the Klein field of a vessel with enough hits and has been shown to be able to slice a ship in half if used correctly." she said.

"Jeez, you get inspiration from Star Wars?" Serina asked, cringing a bit at the thought of being sliced in half. Nick grinned, giving her a thumbs up.  
"Hell yeah, that movie is great even in this day and age."

"And their highly dangerous, just what we need, Nick with a laser sword." Chloe said, a worried look on her face.

"Worry not Chloe, the final piece of armament I brought was a portable Klein Field generators. It is a small square device that upon activation brings a Klein field around the user. It doesn't have to be maintained by a ship as it has it's own generator and Graviton core within. It does have to be charged after every use for maximum effectiveness. Upon further examination, me and Beta found out that this shield can block 56 warheads head on and also be able to block 14 thanatonium charges, after which the core will malfunction. It will offer protection to a single individual. We are currently developing a bracelet which will allow the wearer to expand the shield at will."

"Very well, these designs will make it much easier on us. Who knows, we might even be able to make a profit with the world governments by selling them the Klein Field generators." Nick said, a smirk on his face.

"While the aspect of making easy money from foolhardy people is tempting, we must first continue on with our plan. Theta, have you been able to craft any bullets?" Jonas asked, earning a nod from her. With a wave of her hand, she crafted several preloaded magazines willed with the green tipped bullets. Jonas grabbed one and loaded it into his handgun, nodding to himself.

"Isuzu, it's time we left. But first, I want you to call the I-401, I wish to speak with her captain." he said, looking at Theta. She nodded and opened up her channel, her rings glowing a vibrant green as she scanned the area. There was a loud ping before the call went through, the traditional ringing filling the bridge.

Meanwhile, near the Port city of Yokosuka, the Surveillance Submarine I-401 was slowly making their way toward the city, awaiting further information on the Vibration warhead they were supposed to deliver to America.

The blue Sen-toku-class submarine was one of the biggest threats to the Fog, having sunk many a Fog vessel during her time with humans. It is also known among the Fog that she was one of the first to develop a mental model and spent more than two years with humans.

Her mental model took the appearance of a young girl in her early teens, with waist length whitish blue hair and bright blue eyes. She has fair colored skin, though slightly pale in comparison to her friends and crew mates. She was wearing a dark navy blue sailor outfit, which detached sleeves. Around her neck she wore an ascot which was a dark blue in color with a thin white line across its hem. On the front it had the insignia of the Blue Steel fleet on it. It had two breast pockets, the tops being white and held in place with black buttons. She was wearing a matching short pleated blue skirt, with black biker shorts underneath. She wore a pair of gray-white boots, with black laces that ran up most of the boot. It also had solid black soles, on the sides was a small marking, matching the one on her ascot. She was also wearing a bright red tie, which was softly blowing in the breeze.

She had been named Iona, and her only mission was to find Chihaya Gunzou and obey his orders, thus she had agreed to become his ship.

Standing next to her was the man in question, a young man who was eighteen years of age, and had raven colored hair, and dark colored eyes. Her had a sun kissed complexion and looked rather mature for his age. He was wearing a formal suit, consisting of a crimson colored button down shirt, with a black suit over it. He wore a pressed black tie with two white stripes on it, nearing the bottom. He was wearing a pair of black slacks, held up by a black leather belt. Finally, he wore a pair of black leather boots, which reached almost to his knees and were reinforced with steel around the top and heels. He was currently glancing at the horizon, and the slowly approaching city. His crew were on the boat deck, also enjoying the breeze and the bright morning sun.

"I just received the confirmation order for our resupply from the Yokosuka Port Authority." Iona said, glancing back at her captain, who gave her a nod.

"Did they say anything about the Vibration Warhead?" he asked. She shook her head, making him look back at the slowly approaching wall.

"Maintain current speed and continue toward the dry dock." he said firmly.

"Maintaining current speed...Gunzou...I'm getting a call." Iona said, earning curious looks from her captain and the rest of the crew.

"Who would wanna call us?" Kyouhei asked.

He was a young man of seventeen, a resident anime lover and one of the captain's closest friends, having enrolled in the same academy as him. He was the weapon's and armament manager of the 401, handling all of the weapons and munitions. He was a tall young man, with dark tan skin and long black hair, styled into thick braids which he kept tied into a ponytail. He wore an orange pair of goggles around his eyes and was never seen without them. He wore a bright green shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, along with a pair of worn jeans, which were rather baggy for him. He also wore a pair of brown leather boots, with long belts and buckles.

"Maybe it's his girlfriend!" cried Iori, a young woman who was sitting on the deck above him. She had bright orange hair tied into two spiky buns on the sides of her head. She wore a loose fitting white tank top, stuffed into her loose green shorts. She wore a pair of worn work boots, along with a pair of brown gloves on her hands. Kyouhei broke into laughter, shaking his head.

"Who would want to date the captain? He's always so serious!"

"You know Kyouhei, I could always throw you overboard." Gunzou said, a smirk on his face, this served enough to stop the man's laughter.

"Gunzou, the call sign is from a Nagara-Class vessel. The Light Cruiser Theta." Iona said.

"Theta? I've never heard of that one." Iori said.

"Maybe it's one of the Light Cruisers that broke off from the Fleet a couple weeks back. Remember, there was talk before the communications dropped, about two Light Cruisers and a Resupply Vessel appearing near the island of Guam." Shizuka said, earning nods from her friends.

Shizuka was the Sonar operator of the 401, a recent addition to the crew. The spot was held previously by someone else, but she expressed interest in joining the 401's crew, and almost no one knows the reason why. She was a young girl with long waist length black hair, with dark colored eyes. She wore a thin pair of glasses on her face to improve her vision a bit. She was wearing a white tee shirt, with a violet dress over it, that reached down to her mid thigh. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a bright flower patch sown onto one of the legs. She was also wearing a pair of light blue sandals, being the only one in the crew to wear open toed shoes. She earned a nod from Gunzou who looked at Iona who had been waiting for his order.

"Patch them through, let's see what they want."

" _Hello, am I though?"_ the voice of a young woman cried, startling Gunzou a bit, he hadn't been expecting that. It was almost a yell of sorts, most likely in annoyance. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, you are speaking with the Captain of the 401. Might I ask who's calling?"

" _Jeez, it's about freaking time you answered. You has us waiting five minutes, FIVE MINUTES bub..you better..."_

" _Theta for god sakes are you trying to piss them off?"_ a distinct male voice snapped, causing the first to immediately shut up. Everyone shared a look before, hearing someone clearing their throat.

" _My apologies Captain Chihaya, it seems my friend here thought it was wise to snap at you. I'm not sure if you remember me but I am Jonas Rongil, the captain of the Shimakaze."_

"Ah yes, the vessel that Hyuuga told us about. We are supposed to meet in a few hours here in Yokosuka. It has been awhile since we have spoken."

" _Indeed it has. We have decided to assist you in your endeavor of delivering the special cargo to America. Hyuuga was kind enough to us during our stay at your home port, so we felt the need to make this mission a little more personal. However, we are slightly off schedule."_ Jonas said.

"Did something happen?" Gunzou asked, a hint of worry in his tone.

" _Well no...what I mean to say is myself and my crew are completely fine. But the status of our vessel isn't favorable at the moment. We were attacked by two Fast Battleships earlier this morning and sunk 700 nautical miles from Yokosuka. We are currently steaming at half speed on the Light Cruiser Theta."_

"I'm sorry to hear that. I was looking forward to getting to know you and your crew. It's not every day that you get news about other Fog vessels with human crew aboard." he replied.

" _Don't you worry Captain. While my crew won't be able to make it until later tonight, I will be personally heading to Yokosuka on one of our Float Planes. I will be bringing the Mental Model of the Isuzu with me, who wanted to speak personally with Iona. Is there a place where we can meet up once we land? There are some very important things I wish to discuss with you. Things that can't be shared on this line."_

"My First Mate and crew will be overseeing the resupply and repairs of our vessel once we make it to port. I will be handling some business in town with Iona, perhaps we could meet at the Memorial Site for those lost in the War."

" _That will work. I'm not sure how long I'll be exactly, but I will make it there before sundown. If everything goes well, we can continue with the first phase of the trip."_ Jonas said.

"Of course, we will await you there. We are fast approaching the docks, I'll speak with you soon."

" _Thank you for answering the call. See you and Iona later...good luck."_

"Say Captain, are you sure we can trust those people?" Kyouhei asked curiously.

"If Hyuuga sent them after us, then she must trust them to some degree, and they haven't done anything that would go against us. I believe it will be beneficial to have a relationship with them. Perhaps this escort mission is just what we need, to make friends with our fellow humans. It will also allow us to assess their battle prowess." he said.

"If you say so." Iori muttered to herself. Everyone became quiet as they entered the dry dock.

Xxx

"Alright, now that we've confirmed a meeting place with Gunzou and Iona, it's time for us to leave. Isuzu how are the operations for the plane?" Jonas asked.

"Everything is in working order, engine is nominal and our weapons are on standby. The second plane pod is also in working order." Isuzu said firmly, her golden rings glowing vibrantly displaying all of the information.

"Are you sure about this Jonas? What if those two detect your plane?" Miku asked, a look of worry on her face.

"They won't. We'll be flying to high and too fast for them to detect us in time to do something. We'll also be sticking toward the outer parts of the continent until we make it over land. Trust your captain." he said, finally reaching the Stern of Theta's hull. Isuzu formed a stairway down toward the raft that was currently pulling the Sea Hawk behind the plane. Jonas stood at the edge of the railing, watching as Isuzu made her way down first. He looked back at his crew, giving them a firm nod.

"I trust you'll handle everything accordingly. Follow Miku's orders and make sure everything goes according to plan. You guys can handle this, you have before." He said firmly.

"Good luck Cap, you'll definitely need it." Nick said.

"Don't kill yourself, I need someone to yell at when I'm bored!" Serina cried, earning a slap to the back of the head from Miku. She glared at her, but held her ground, knowing that getting into a fight then wasn't ideal.

"Are you sure you'll be fine Jonas?" Shiki asked, concern laced in her voice. He nodded, giving her a pat on the head.

"We'll be fine. Remember, you are our Flagship, so be sure to guide Theta accordingly. Oh...and cute outfit." he said, giving her a wink. He walked off the ship, walking down the golden stairwell. Shiki blushed, looking at herself.

Her outfit had drastically changed. She was now wearing a frilly green halter top, with thick green straps which wrapped around her neck. The two had several ruffles on it, being dark green at the top and fading into a lighter shade of green at the bottom. It had an angle cut at the bottom, leaving her bellybutton exposed. She was wearing a matching light blue skirt, which was now of appropriate length. It reached down to the top of her knees, black in color and had a white hem on the bottom. One the front it featured the insignia of the Emerald Eagles, while on the side it had a miniature depiction of her ship body sown in bright green thread. She was wearing long white stockings which reached to just above the knee. Finally, she was wearing a pair of bright green combat boots, which were made from a leather like material. The sides and top were a bright green, the soles were a dark green color while the area above the toes and the heel were a light shade of teal. She had also replaced her black ribbon, exchanging it for a green one. Over all, she looked a lot cuter and proper than before. This of course made her blush a vibrant red, which made the others start laughing.

That is until she and Theta felt the simultaneous ping of a ship entering their radar. The two of them shared a look and opened their search system, broadening their search axis. Shiki's eyes widened and she raced to the side of the ship, just as Jonas was about to board the plane.

"Jonas, we have a confirmed call sign for the Heavy Cruiser Maya. She's coming straight at us!" she exclaimed.

"Shit." Jonas muttered.

"There's no time, if we don't leave now we'll never make it at the designated time!" Isuzu said firmly. Jonas grit his teeth and looked back to his friends, giving them a nod.

"Handle it, I trust you'll be successful. Isuzu let's go!" he exclaimed, getting into the front seat of the plane, while Isuzu took the rear seat. The engine started without an issue and quickly sped off, slowly lifting into the air. The bright golden field washed over the plane, just in case Maya decided to try something.

"All hands to station, I want everyone to start preparing for battle. Nick load forward tubes with thanatonium charges. Serina want us to be moving at Full Speed, there's no time to waste. Chloe I want passive sonar readings in my sight in less than two minutes."

"Aye captain." they all cried, as they all quickly headed toward their designated stations. Miku sighed, knowing she would be in for a long battle.


	9. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello guys, I hope you are all enjoying this story so far. I've put a lot of work into it and I really want to hear back from you. This fandom doesn't have that many stories in it, so we have to nurture it and make it grow, even if its through one shots, or several other things. And Idea is just that, you guys have to be the ones to give it form and shape it to what you want. Even now, I'm glad I wrote this.**

 **So, I must say that for this chapter, I dun goofed. All of my characters are English speakers, mostly because three of them come from Hawaii, one is from Australia, one is from Guam and one is from the Mariana Archipeligo. So I got used to making them speak in English. So when they were to meet up with Gunzou and the blue fleet, they were supposed to speak Japanese. I was going to make all of the Japanese have Japanese quotations so that everyone knew what was what, since I seem to over use Italics a lot. But I ended up writing everything in English with no distinct difference between the two. So let's just pretend they all speak the same language and everyone was speaking it from day one. Except Taco, he doesn't know Japanese even though he's half Japanese himself.**

 **Ehe, that was a thing I guess. I felt like a total ass after I wrote this, but I couldn't go back to change anything as it would take too long, so please bare with me. This is a pretty long chapter with a lot of narrative and exposition, so I hope you like it and if you do, Bootyslap that like and leave me a review. Remember, for every review you give, one battleship is saved from thanatonium charges. Only you can save the Fog.**

 **As a final note, since this is based on the anime, there will be a lot of things that will not be talked about. I only got to chapter four of the manga and I'm in the process of rereading it, so some stuff will be different. There will be a meeting with Yamato soon, because god knows Jonas hates the supreme flagship, he hasn't shown it yet, but he does hate her. I was also thinking of adding relationships into this, but I haven't decided who's gonna be paired up with who, well except for Jonas that is, and no he's not going to be paired up with Yamato, as funny as that would be. Although, her sister Musashi is pretty cute...but that would conflict with several things...and I'm just rambling.**

 **Well...here you go, hope you guys like it...**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 7

What everyone thought would turn into a battle actually ended up turning into a game of Cat and Mouse, metaphorically of course. Theta had been waiting to fire at Maya, in fact she had fired several of her thanatonium warheads at her, and yet the Heavy Cruiser hadn't done a single thing, other than adjust her field to absorb the hits. Everyone was waiting on standby, ready to fire if necessary, but so far nothing had happened. Miku swallowed hard, her eyes tracing their course back to Yokosuka. They had been steaming at full speed since Jonas had left and Maya had been following them for just as long. She was slightly faster than the light cruiser, making it a little hard to concentrate. The fact that Shiki and Theta were handling it so well was astounding, then again they were of the Fog, so situations like these meant nothing to her.

Nick cleared his throat, his hand poised on his touch panel, stylus in hand. He licked his lips, brushing a few strands of hair from his eyes. He hadn't been this nervous since the battle against Isuzu. It had been a little difficult then, but Isuzu was taken care of with careful planning, even if it took an hour, but Maya was known to be spontaneous. Her parameters were never fully accurate with what other Fleet of Fog members had seen, so it was next to impossible to figure out just what she was planning.

"So...what exactly are we going to do?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at Miku. She folded her hands over her lap, trying to remain composed.

"We will continue our heading and make sure we arrive in Yokosuka at the allotted time. It is all we can do." she said.

"What about Maya? We can't keep going with her on our side, it's too dangerous love." Taco said, spinning his chair around to face his captain.

"I know...if Jonas was here, he would know what to do...I don't think I'm fit to be his First Mate anymore."

"Don't say that Miku! You are more than adept at this, you have shown us countless times why we should trust you. I believe we will find a solution to this." Shiki said, giving her friend a bright smile.

"Shiki is right, don't make me go over there and slap you Thunder Tits! Jonas made you First Mate for a goddamn reason, so prove to us that he made the right choice!" Serina snapped angrily, her image at the bottom of the battle screen expanded a bit. She was rapidly typing into her console, maintaining their current speed as much as she could.

"Heavy Cruiser Maya turning about, heading 215!" Chloe cried out, her hand was tightly gripping her headset, her right hand flying over her station as she tried to make sure the information was as accurate as possible.

"Are you serious? She's aiming to ram us then!" Nick cried out, clearly shocked.

"Hard Starboard, we can't let her hit us. Fire all Portside missile tubes!" Miku cried out. Nick smirked and cracked his knuckles, quickly typing in the necessary inputs. He hit the red button with his stylus, the familiar sound of firing warheads filling his ears. The glowing green rockets zoomed toward the enemy ship at a great speed.

"Heavy Cruiser Maya deploying her Klein field. Three of our contacts will impact her Forward Bow!" Chloe said, a smirk on her face. They all watched as the glowing pink ship jerked to the right from the impact, just before her shield absorbed the hit.

"Shiki, activate the forward camera, I want to see if she has a Mental Model." Miku said.

"Roger, camera number 3 engaged." she said, projecting the image onto the battle screen. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw a young girl, who she assumed was Maya, sitting atop the bridge, swinging her feet back and forth, her head bobbing as if she were listening to music.

"Oi, are you serious? She isn't even trying to stop us!" Taco snapped. His eyes widened when he saw all of her forward missile tubes open, just before several missiles were fired at them.

"Twenty seven contacts! Impact in ten seconds!"

"Shiki, adjust the shield to 20%. Serina I want you to lower us to half speed, we'll try to Port around her and sink her from behind." Miku said.

"That isn't a wise idea, if we lower our speed now, she will just fire her Surface-to Surface system at us and disable us entirely. While I am confident in my hull surviving, I am not confident in lowering our speed in the middle of a battle with a Heavy Cruiser." Theta said firmly.

"Okay, then what do you suggest we do?" the purple haired girl asked. Theta shook her head, not tearing her eyes off her Search System.

"You are the captain, I am merely doing as my previous protocol dictated. I am just saying we should lower our speed, anything else is welcome." she said.

"Can we please get back to the matter at hand here? We're 300 miles from Yokosuka, we need to fucking act now!" Nick snapped angrily, slamming his fists onto his console.

"I'm trying here, we haven't faced anyone as unpredictable as Maya." Miku said.

"We went up against a Resupply Vessel who had two Light Cruisers assisting her and won, we can definitely handle this. Fuck it, I'm flooding the forward tubes and firing thanatonium charges at her." Nick said, typing a new algorithm for the corrosive warheads. The vessel jerked a bit as all eight torpedoes were launched the green glow brightening up as it headed toward its target. Sadly, the Klein field was able to absorb every blow that would have been dealt, making the ship jerk to and fro.

"Man, heavy cruisers are pain in the ass." Taco said.

"She's shifting course again, she's turning due east, bearing 210. It sounds like she's loading everything she has!" Chloe cried out, glaring at her screen with widened eyes.

"Theta, I want you to crash dive right now, Serina half speed, prepare for underwater battle!" Miku said firmly.

"Crash Dive initiated, ballast tanks are being flooded!" Theta said. It wasn't long before the bow of their ship sunk below the waves. Everyone watched as the water was slowly approaching the bridge before engulfing it completely as the ship started diving as far as it could under water. Miku grit her teeth as the vessel started groaning loudly, most likely not used to this sort of strain and pressure. Theta had a pained look on her face, her body was glowing bright green, most likely focusing on keeping herself together.

"This isn't going to work for long, Shiki make contact with Maya. I want to know why she's after us." Miku said.

"Roger, I'll talk to her now." she said, closing her eyes.

Shiki appeared inside the familiar pavilion, seeing it had once again changed slightly. Aside from a few extra chairs being placed around the table, and a few flowers being planted just outside, nothing had changed. She shook her head, glaring at the girl standing at the other end of the pavilion.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" she asked, placing her hands at her waist. Maya grinned, giving her a cutesy smile.

"Me? I'm not doing anything...I was just asked to rescue the crew of the Shimakaze and lock them in my brig. I wasn't expecting you to have more friends." she replied. Shiki sighed, knitting her brows together in annoyance.

"Listen Maya, we have very important things to do and it would be much easier if you weren't trying to ram into us. So please just leave us alone. We aren't doing anything wrong."

"Nope, Kongou said you guys were meanies. You turned my sisters against me, so I have to get revenge for them!" Maya replied. She sat down at the table, grabbing her cup of tea and proceeding to dump several sugar cubes into it. Shiki narrowed her eyes in thought, a grin forming on her lips.

"So, you just want to lock us in your brig? I think that isn't hardly fair. We haven't done anything wrong...have you ever thought of...leaving the Fleet?"

"I am perfectly happy in the Fleet. Kongou is my friend and I would never betray her!" she said happily, taking a sip from her cup, and immediately cringing at the sweetness. Shiki walked up to her, a warm smile on her face.

"I know that, but what if I told you that you can do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted? You can go to foreign places, to foreign lands. Imagine all of the candy, and most importantly the musical instruments...you want to play music right?" she asked, adopted an interested look on her face. Maya frowned, looking at the other girl.

"I want to play music, but I am not leaving Kongou behind. If she leaves, then I might leave as well. But for now, I am happy being her friend."

"I see, that's a shame. I suppose I have no choice but to surrender, stand by while I talk with my crew." she said.

"Yay! Kongou will be so happy!"

Shiki shook her head, glancing at Miku who had been patiently waiting for her reply.

"It seems the the Fast Battleship Kongou has put her up to finding us. She said her mission was to rescue us and put us in her brig. I told her we would surrender."

"What, are you insane?" Nick snapped angrily, glaring at the blonde.

"I wasn't done. Remember those tracers Jonas made, the ones that locked down my system? I have several of those left as well as remote access to their program. All we have to do is surrender to her and once we're on her deck, one of us fires the tracer right at her, I'll take care of the rest." Shiki said.

"I'll say...I can't believe I forgot about those tracers. You have really stepped up to the plate Shiki, I'm proud of you. Alright, let's go with her plan. All stop, shutdown all battle stations. Let's head to the boat deck." Miku said.

"I'll take the shot at her. I have plenty of training with a gun, she wouldn't expect it from me." Chloe said, pulling her gun from her holster. Shiki nodded, handing her a magazine loaded with the special tracers.

"Let's hope this works, I'm dying for an ice cream cone." she said, earning groans from her friends. They waited for Theta to surface before going out onto the boat deck, ignoring all of the water that was slowly draining off the decks. Chloe loaded the special magazine into her gun and placed it behind her back, just as the Heavy Cruiser pulled up to their Port Side. A pink walkway formed between the two ships, where a smiling Maya was already waiting.

"Alright humans, come aboard. No funny business will be tolerated on this vessel, we will be setting course for Kongou. She's gonna be so happy I caught you guys!" she cried loudly, hands above her head. Everyone slowly started walking across the walkway, ignoring the fact that they were several meters above the water. Nick was the first one onto Maya's deck. He instantly felt unnerved, especially with Maya's peppy tone. He glanced around, noticing all of the Photon Cannon's and Particle Guns had yet to move. This girl hadn't bothered aiming her weapons at them. Serina followed after him, with Taco and Shiki closely after. Theta jumped aboard, followed by Chloe, the redheaded Mental Model crossed her arms, her previous seriousness leaving her face.

"Alright, what the hell is this bullshit about putting us in the brig? We aren't pirates." she said.

"Sorry, that's classified information. I'll have to tow your hull back with me, but we should be making it before sundown." she said happily, raising her mooring arms, aiming them toward Theta's hull. Chloe subtly nodded to her friends, reaching for her gun.

"You know Jonas is going to be mad at you right Maya? Do you remember what he did to Isuzu? He'll do that to you." Shiki said.

"Don't worry, my meanie older sister had it coming after merging with a Light Cruiser. She disgraces us Takao-class ships. Even older sister Takao disgraced us. I'm like a princess, maybe I should name myself Princess Maya!" she exclaimed.

"I don't think so, Princess Maya doesn't suit you." Chloe said, a smirk on her face. Maya turned to her, a reply already formed in her mind when she felt something slam into her forehead. Her eyes widened in shock as she became completely still.

"What...what are you doing you meanies?" she cried loudly.

"Shiki, do it." Miku said. Shiki's rings expanded, and Maya watched as all of her weapon systems were deactivated. She opened up her specs, only to see a screen depicting all of her compartments slowly being shut down, even her engine was shutdown. She grit her teeth, trying to crack the tracer that was remotely hacking into her, only for her to fail.

"Okay then, this is how it's going to work. You are going to be our prisoner. Don't even try to take off that tracer, because if you do it will deliver a mild but effective shock to your system. You are now our prisoner, and don't even bother trying to contact help, I shut down your access to the Transit Comm System, so you can't do anything." Shiki said.

"Excellent work Shiki, this idea of yours was a success. Theta, prepare to tow Maya with us, we will continue our course to Yokosuka. We've wasted enough time as it is."

"Aye captain." Theta said.

"Wait...I have a better idea. I am fully in control of Maya's ship, how about we split up. I'll act as the Flagship and you follow behind me into Port. We'll use Maya's firepower to take down Kirishima and Haruna." Shiki said.

"Okay...that will work out perfectly. Taco, I want you to go with Shiki aboard Maya's hull, you'll be in charge of armament. I'm also entrusting you to be the captain of this vessel so make the right calls."

"You can count on me." Taco said, giving Miku a salute.

"What? How come he gets to be the captain? I've been on this Fleet longer than he has!" Nick snapped, glaring at the woman before him. She wave him a warm smile, puffing her chest out a bit, something that made him blush.

"I need you with me Nick, I trust your judgment when it comes to armament, so you'll be in charge of deploying everything and ensuring Jonas is safe. Can I count on you?" she asked, giving him a wink. He nodded dumbly, earning a groan from Serina.

"Fine, whatever can we move? We're eating shit here and it's already past noon." the blue haired girl snapped.

"Fine, all hands to station, Shiki sever our contacts with Maya. I'll let you get ahead of us."

"Roger that. Come on you, I'll be keeping a close eye on you." she said, dragging Maya away. The brunette started crying loudly, gripping onto the railing.

"No, I'm to young to go to prison!"

"Chloe, shoot a backup tracer to her Conning Tower, just in case." Miku said.

"Understood."

Chloe took aim at the large structure located above the bridge, firing a single round into it. The tracer opened up, latching itself onto the large antenna that was slowly spinning in circles. With that, the crew headed back onto the Theta, hoping to get back on schedule.

Xxx

It was only 4:34PM when Jonas and Isuzu were finally allowed to land in Yokosuka's harbor. It had been a hard time trying to convince the port authority that they were friendly, but when everyone had learned of them being associated with the Fog, all of the defenses had been triggered. He and Isuzu had been met with the Navy, who had been pointing their weapons right at them as they got off the float plane. Thankfully, one of the crew members from the 401 was able to clear up the situation.

He was a young man, of seventeen years of age. He was wearing a soft tan colored sweater, with a turtle neck collar that had a zipper on it. He was wearing a light colored pair of jeans and a pair of formal oxford shoes. He had a lean build and was rather tall, almost taller than Jonas. The only thing he didn't understand was the reason behind the helmet he was wearing. After a few minutes, the Navy lowered their guns, allowing Jonas to release the breath he was holding. The young man walked up to him, giving him a bow.

"You must be Jonas Rongil, captain of the Shimakaze correct?" he asked.

"Indeed I am. It's nice to meet you...um..."

"Oribe Sou, I am the First Mate on the 401's crew." he said, holding his hand out. Jonas nodded, accepting his gesture.

"It's nice to meet you Sou, you can call me Jonas. This young lady here happens to be my ship's Flight Deck operator. She is the Mental Model of the Heavy Cruiser Isuzu, who joined our fleet not long ago." he said. Isuzu bowed formally, her hair covering her eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can become friends in the future."

"Indeed, currently me and the rest of the crew are overseeing the resupply of our vessel. The captain took off to handle some business in town." Sou said.

"Yes, we have a designated meeting place. We also brought some armament for your ship. One of them is an F-15 Eagle currently in pod form, I require you to take it aboard the 401. We also brought extra missile pods and an extra thanatonium warhead. If we had more room, we would have brought more." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No no, we appreciate you bringing us the extra warhead, it makes us that much more confident in battle. Currently we only have six thanatonium warheads, so even if it's an extra one, we greatly appreciate it. However, I don't understand what the plane is for."

"It's something we are testing out. Our friend Tohka has information on various specifications for Fleet of Fog vessels, and it so happened that she has information on the armament of the USS George Washington, and American Fleet of Fog ship." Isuzu said firmly.

"I see...alright, I shall have them loaded into our vessel as soon as we can."

"There is another reason why we came here alone, but it isn't something I can say out loud. Isuzu, project the message to his tablet." Jonas said. She nodded and opened her specs, startling a few of the Navy members a bit, some even rose their weapons at her. Various things appeared on Sou's screen and he looked startled, at least that's what Jonas assumed. He looked back at Jonas, a new degree of seriousness in his voice.

"Are you certain this will happen?" he asked.

"Positive...it's thanks to them that Shimakaze foundered. The rest of my crew are steaming here as we speak, we require only that you distract them with the frontal assault, we'll handle the rest." he said, giving him a smirk.

"Alright, I'll relay this to the rest of the crew. I'm sure the Captain is aware of this?" he asked.

"I sent the information to Iona when we arrived here, we are going to discuss this matter right now. We have a few hours before the estimated arrival, so we'll leave everything to you. Isuzu, let's go."

"Roger." she said, following closely after Jonas as he headed out of the docks, the Navy kept aiming their guns at them, but finally stopped after they disappeared from sight.

"This is an interesting city. It seems most of this area had been evacuated during the time after the war, but in the recent years, there's been a modest increase in residency and commerce." Isuzu noted, glancing at the information she was collecting. Jonas nodded, glancing at the wall that kept Yokosuka safe.

"It seems that wall is the reason. People wouldn't dare live near the ocean if it meant being at risk from the Fog, but now that the wall is in place, they feel safe. People love the sea after all." He said.

"But it seems illogical don't you think? Wouldn't you want to be away from all of this? Especially with the Fleet of Fog being dangerous?" Isuzu asked. Jonas rolled his eyes.

"That's just the way it is Suzy, people will always love the sea. It fascinated us for hundreds of years, and it still does. We've explored more areas of the moon than we have of the ocean floor. I believe, when we become friends with the Fog, we can use their help to explore every last corner of this world. The Surveillance submarines would be ideal to explore these areas, as they are stronger than anything man could have ever made."

"Still...I suppose I just don't understand yet." she said, closing her window. He chuckled, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"But you will, that's the beauty of it. We as humans have the ability to adapt to things. While it takes a long time, we have what it takes, if the Fog learns to adapt in the way that humans can, then everything will open up, every door will lead to adventure. Who knows, we may even be able to explore space with Fog technology, settle new planets, bring other races together. It's my dream to explore the possibilities of what we can do. We were put on this planet for a reason, we just have to figure out why." Jonas said firmly. Isuzu smiled, a light blush appearing on her face.

"I like that a lot about you Captain. You have a way to express yourself that not many do. You took action and became what you are today...if you let me, then I will gladly help you achieve that dream of yours."

"I appreciate it Suzy, it means a lot to me."

"Why do you keep calling me Suzy?" she asked curiously, earning a smile from him.

"My cousin, her name was Susan. When we were crossing into Russia seven years ago, we were attacked by a Light Cruiser. She and my grandmother ended up being victims of that attack. Your name, Isuzu sounds sort of like Suzy, so I gave you that as a nickname."

"A nickname?" she asked, brows furrowed. She opened up her search briefly, looking the term up.

"Hmm...a nickname is used between people as a shortened version of their name, usually used to show close friendship...I like it...Suzy...I think I'll keep using that as my name." she said firmly.

"We're almost to our meeting place, but first we need to make a pit stop." he said, changing his direction a bit, heading toward a nearby flower shop. Isuzu watched him curiously, walking up behind him. She heard Jonas and the woman speaking briefly, before she handed him a bouquet of flowers. He handed her the money, thanking her for the flowers before turning around.

"What are the flowers for Captain?" she asked.

"We're going to a special place. You see, when humans die, they are buried in places called cemeteries. We'll be going to a large Memorial ground where many people who fought in the war are buried. I thought it would be nice to bring them an offering." he said, gesturing to the flowers.

"But...they are all deceased right? What would flowers serve to do if their already gone?" she asked curiously. He sighed, not really knowing how to answer that. He hummed to himself, looking at the rapidly reddening sky.

"Hmm...it's like this...people say that when you die, you don't actually "Die" rather your soul stays behind. While their physical bodies are gone, their souls are always there. If you bring them flowers, it will make them happy, and their souls can finally be at peace."

"So...it would be the same as a Fog vessel who lost her physical ship, and her core is in the bottom of the ocean, longing to be rescued. She'll be forever in the murky depths, and then finally she gets what she wants and is finally happy about it?" she asked, ending her statement with a question. Jonas chuckled, quietly opening the gate to the large memorial ground.

"Something like that."

He slowly headed toward the back of the memorial, briefly greeting the few people that were paying their respects. He passed by a young woman who was crying her eyes out, being hugged by her son, who was dressed in a Naval uniform. He stopped briefly, grabbing three of the sunflowers from his bouquet. He walked over to the grave the woman was standing at and placed the flowers on top of it, along with the other ones that had been left there. She looked at him oddly for a second before giving him a smile.

He didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the moment. During something like this, there was no need to exchange words. Isuzu took everything to memory, wanting to save this for later, surely Shiki would know what he had accomplished by doing that. Finally, they reached the end of the memorial, where two people were standing, facing the large Granite stone, listing the names of all those lost during the war. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves.

"So, we finally meet face to face. Chihaya Gunzou." he said firmly, catching the young man's attention. He fully turned around, looking directly at him. Iona was also looking closely at him, expecting him to do something. Gunzou held his hand out to her, keeping her calm.

"Jonas Rongil...a pleasure to finally see you. I was expecting someone...taller." he said, a smirk on his face.

"I was expecting someone more casual and not so stiff." he replied back. Both of them shared a laugh. Jonas set the flowers down before the large grave stone and turned around, formally greeting his fellow captain.

"I've been wanting to speak with you like this for awhile now. So glad it's finally happened. This is my friend, and Flight Deck Manager of my vessel, her name is Isuzu." he said.

"Nice to meet you. This is Iona, she's the Mental Model of the 401." Gunzou said, introducing his friend. Jonas held his hand out to her, and she looked it oddly for a few seconds, before shaking it.

"It is nice to meet you, Jonas Rongil. I hope we can become friends in the future." she said firmly. He smiled, giving her a nod.

"Well...now that we have met, there are some things I would like to discuss. First and foremost, our situation. As you know, Kirishima and Haruna are responsible for attacking us this morning, but I didn't fully finish what happened. It seemed that as they left, they started steaming directly here. They plan to intercept and destroy the 401 while she's in port."

"You're certain?" Gunzou asked.

"100% certain. We've already ran simulations and in each one, both vessels arrive at eight PM and start firing at the defense barrier. As such we have already planned most of what we will be doing. I have given your first mate all of the information and he should be sharing it with your crew at this moment. Iona has this information as well correct?" he asked, glancing at the girl, who gave him a nod.

"I received Isuzu's message earlier today, but did not explain in detail the contents. I wanted to have further information on the matter, so I waited for you to arrive." she said.

"Alright, I want to look at all of this information. So let's all return to the ship." Gunzou said, just as they were about to leave, the sounds of footsteps echoed through the area. Jonas turned around in time to see several soldiers, dressed in Combat ACUs holding assault rifles at them. He grit his teeth, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Well...this _wasn't_ in the simulation." he said with a chuckle.

"It's the army...most likely here for us." Gunzou said firmly.

"No...I think both of us are wanted by them right now." Jonas said. A single man, dressed in a black suit walked forward, standing in front of the armed men.

"Chihaya Gunzou, Jonas Rongil, both of your are requested to accompany me. Certain individuals wish to have an audience with you." the man said. Isuzu opened up her rings, forming a vibrant yellow orb in her hand. Jonas placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

"Not here, it wouldn't be good to disturb the dead." he said. She nodded, letting the field disappear, her specs disappearing as well.

"Fine...we shall join you. I'm assuming there's a reason for this?" Gunzou asked. Iona was standing before him, ready to attack if necessary, a determined look in her eye, something that Jonas found extremely adorable.

"There is, but the two of you must accompany us. Jonas Rongil, a US Government official has been called in to deal with you." the man said.

"Oh? This is new...I'd like to meet the man who has the gonads to capture me. This is going to be interesting." he said with a grin.

Being lead to a new place by armed men wasn't exactly what Jonas called a fun experience, especially when those men are from the army and have the barrel of an M-16A1 pointed directly at your face. Thankfully, he was wearing his Klein field generator, something that they weren't even aware of. By the time they reached the city, it was completely dark. They had been taken to a small restaurant in town, that was by the ocean.

"Just a restaurant on a hill huh? I better get the best French experience they can muster, or they'll get some bad reviews from me." Jonas muttered, making Gunzou chuckle quietly. Jonas kept his eye out, just in case something else was about to happen, though he knew they had very little time to waste, especially if the Fast Battleships were currently on their way.

"Oi, do you sense them yet?" he whispered, catching Isuzu's attention. She closed her eyes, looking at all of the information without actually accessing any of it. She shook her head, giving him a frown.

"Sorry Captain, nothing yet." she replied.

"The rest of your crew members have already been assembled here. Please make your way in." the man said, as two more soldiers opened the doors to the outdoor patio.

The four slowly walked into the patio, being greeted with the rest of the 401's crew. Jonas had only met Sou, but now he had been able to see the rest of Gunzou's team, his closest friends and battle ready sailors. All of them were teenagers, much like his own crew. It made him frown a bit. They lived in a world where teenagers had to become adults and take the responsibility that the adults couldn't even handle anymore. Gunzou stiffened a bit, when he saw the man standing at the edge of the patio.

"You...Kita Ryoukan." he said firmly, catching the man's attention.

"Chihaya Gunzou...good of you to come." he said firmly. The man looked to be in his early to late fifties, with light gray black hair. He had a stern look on his face, and a thick gray beard. He was looking at them with hardened eyes. His suit was firmly pressed, white formal shirt, with a matching tie. He also wore black slacks and polished leather shoes. Everything about him screamed "Government Bigwig" and that was what made Jonas uncomfortable. He swallowed hard and looked around the table, spotting four empty seats. The man gestured to them and they proceeded to sit down. Jonas ended up sitting next to Kyouhei, the weapons manager of the 401. He briefly exchanged hellos with everyone, before remaining silent.

"Captain, are you alright? I detect a moderate increase in your heart rate." Isuzu said, glancing at him with a worried look on her face.

"Jonas Rongil, it is a pleasure to meet you. We have heard of your exploits as well as those from the 401. My name is Kita Ryoukan, I'm a national diet member here in Japan." the man said, taking his seat.

"Good to meet you I guess. Your goon told me there was someone from America here for me? I would like to see who Uncle Sam sent." he said, leaning back into his seat. One of the waiters placed a plate filled with food in front of him, along with an empty wine glass, which was instantly filled with rich red wine.

"Well, you won't have to wait long, I've already arrived."

Glancing to the door, they all saw another man, dressed in a fine navy blue suit. He was rather tall, being nearly six feet in height. He had dark colored hair, slicked with gel to one side of his head, his face was free of blemishes and facial hair, but you could still see his age. His suit was a dark navy blue in color, and on the lapel was a small pin with the American flag on it. He was wearing dark blue slacks and black leather boots. He walked slowly toward the table, taking the seat across from Jonas, who had a smirk on his face.

"Well well, if it isn't my scumbag uncle. What a pleasurable surprise, say..how did you make it to Japan without dying?" Jonas asked curiously, leaning forward in his seat.

"That is none of your concern. Right now, I am not your Uncle, I am FBI Agent Thomas Rongil, and as of now, you and your crew are under arrest." the man said firmly. Jonas glanced at him, breaking into a short laugh. He grabbed his wine glass and took a sip from it. He honestly hated wine, but it did add a nice effect to the ambiance.

"Under arrest you say? My that's such a bold claim. Here we are, in a modest restaurant, surrounded by nice company with a very delicious wine, and you have the audacity to place me under arrest. Pardon me, but shouldn't we let Ryoukan take care of his business with Gunzou first?" he asked. The man grit his teeth giving him a nod.

"Very well." he said. Jonas glanced around, seeing the stern faces of the people next to him, though Gunzou seemed rather amused by what was going on. Ryoukan cleared his throat.

"Is that girl the Mental Model of the 401?" he asked firmly. It seemed as if he wasn't too sure of how to ask the question.

"Iona...her name is Iona, and yes...she is the Mental Model of our vessel." Gunzou said.

"She looks indistinguishable from any other human." he said. The glare on Iona's face was vacant, but Jonas was sure the girl was getting pissed off. Shiki was much the same way at times, often times seeing a blank look on her face meant that she was trying very hard to hide her emotions.

"Did you force us to come here just so you can stare at her?" Gunzou asked curiously. The man chuckled, glancing back at him with a firm look on his face.

"Sadly, I didn't come here to enjoy my dinner and glance a pretty dolls. I came here for another thing entirely, would you be so kind as to return 401 to the government?" he asked. Jonas's eyes widened a bit.

"I see you weren't aware of their situation Jonas." Thomas said, glancing at his nephew.

"I was not, we only arrived today." he said, taking another sip of his wine. He had taken only a single piece from his steak, which he admit was good, but was too focused on other things to truly eat his meal. Kyouhei however had already eaten most of his meal, making the girl across from him shake her head.

"Unfortunately, we cannot do that. We are in the midst of an important mission." Gunzou replied calmly, his hands folded in front of him on the table.

"Do you mean the mission from Kamikage? That will not be an issue."

"I must apologize. But since we have already accepted the mission, we have a responsibility to see it through to the end." he replied, glancing at the man with hardened eyes. Jonas finished his wine and flagged the waiter, which came over to his side. Rather than fill his glass, Jonas took the bottle from him and sent him on his way. Isuzu watched him curiously, having finished all of her food already.

"What...this is getting interesting." he whispered, taking a swig from the bottle.

"Responsibility eh? That isn't a word normally heard come from the mouth of a grown man. Despite our communication troubles, we still heard about I-401's various exploits. In these last two years, you have not only dealt with the Fog, but also dealt many blows to their fleet. Your actions have very much interested me." Ryoukan said, completely ignoring Jonas. Kyouhei chuckled, placing his hands behind his head.

"Hey man, we're just a stingy delivery boat." he said happily. The girl across from him scowled and sent a firm kick to his foot, causing him to yelp in pain.

"It is this very reason that I have come to believe that your fates cannot be left in the hands of 401. Not when her existence is synonymous with danger." he said.

"Danger? From Iona?" Gunzou asked, adopting an angered look on his face.

"Indeed, she is of the Fog. It won't be long before she gets out of hand, all the more reason for you to relinquish command of her to highly trained individuals who are legitimate soldiers, wouldn't you agree?" he asked.

"Let me stop you right there boss. Don't you know that you can't use regular military tactics against the Fog?" Jonas asked, glancing at the man.

"I am aware of this sure." the man said.

"Jonas, I must ask you to remain silent. You have no business getting involved in their matters." Thomas said.

"First off, shut the fuck up. You have no control over me, second I am getting involved because this man is outright saying Iona will attack everyone. If she hasn't attacked us now and willingly allowed herself to be put in your dry docks? Then why would she attack now?" Jonas asked firmly, glaring at the two men. He took a sip from his wine, setting the bottle down beside him.

"Further more, it matters not if trained individuals come aboard her ship. She will not listen to them, as they are not her crew. Gunzou is her captain, these people are her crew. She listens to them and them alone. Sorry, but in any scenario, placing foreign people on the 401 will only lead to destruction, from the Fog, or from another power." he said.

"How can you say that she isn't going to turn on us, how can you even trust her? Her core is in the grips of a monster. This mental model may very well be our end." Ryoukan said.

"Trust you say? I mean no disrespect, but I disagree. Isn't it you, the ones who had accomplished nothing in the seven years after the Great Naval Battle, who we should not trust? Official Military training is completely ineffective against the Fleet of Fog. Do you still not understand that? Besides, I can't trust a man who calls Iona a Monster."

"Do you like that doll so much?" the man said through grit teeth, he was visibly trying to hold back his anger.

"Stop calling her a doll! We aren't dolls, we are living breathing people!" Isuzu snapped, slamming her fist against the table in anger. The man only tapped his empty wine glass with his spoon, summoning various soldiers, all aiming their guns at their heads.

"I didn't want it to come to this, but you have left us no choice." Ryoukan said firmly, glaring at everyone on the table.

"Well, as we say in America, bravo! You have shown us the extent of your military power, but that doesn't mean the size of your dick is big." Jonas said, leaning in his chair. He was blushing a bit, an after effect from drinking all that wine. He tipped the bottle up and started gulping down the last of the wine, much to the shock of those around him. He slammed the empty bottle onto the table, a smirk on his face.

"So, what do you plan to do here? Take Gunzou's keys, arrest the lot of them and charge them with treason? Under what grounds? Under what jurisdiction? Sure they stole a sub that was under military surveillance, but didn't you know that he was offered complete ownership of the vessel by that other man, Kamikage was it?" he asked.

"Jonas, you are making a fool of yourself. Behave yourself this instant or I will be using force." Thomas said.

"Calm down Uncle Thomas, why don't we have a little chat. I heard many things from you from my grandmother. Apparently it was you who talked my mother into sending us to Russia. Is that how you got here? Using the bridge that the Fog took out seven years ago? I lost my grandmother that day, your daughter died in that attack, yet here you are gallivanting around in a fancy suit, pretending to be an FBI agent when you know the continental United States can't do jack shit in our current world. Ah, but you aren't here just for a lively chat are you?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

"I do not know what you are talking about. Before communications were lost, the Island state of Hawaii issued a capture for several fugitives which had signed a contract with the Fleet of Fog. You left with sensitive information about our remaining fleet." he said.

"Is that what they told you? That I had stolen sensitive files...I can tell you now, that is a load of horse shit. But you know what I did take with me, a Fleet of Fog Union Core. A union core that was planted in the center of my chest as part of an experiment known only as Project Daze. Apparently, 300 children between the ages of six and sixteen were captured and put under these trials, to make a hybrid mental model and human. Only one person survived, me. That Union core is keeping me alive, and works in tandem with two processors installed into my brain. You say I betrayed our nation, but the ones who betrayed the nation was you and those bastards in Hawaii. Did you know human experimentation is against the law?" he asked curiously.

"What are you talking about? All of this is bull crap." Thomas asked, clearly distressed. Jonas snapped his fingers, and Isuzu opened up her specs, showing all of the information that Tohka had been able to gather from Hawaii's servers.

"None of this is _bullcrap_ dear uncle. All of this, is classified information, that one of my crew members was able to salvage with the aid of the vessels in my fleet. My crew isn't aware of this, but if they were, I think they would have bombed that place to high heaven. Even better, apparently the President doesn't know of this, so how do you think he would react if I walked into the capital building in New York city and showed him these files? Not very happy I would assume. Better yet, one of these has your signature and your approval. An email which was sent years before the Fog fully gained control of the oceans. No matter how you slice it, you can't control what I do. So it would be best if you call off the guns to my friends heads, or you will be sorry." glancing at the two government officials.

"Oi, is all this stuff true?" Kyouhei asked curiously, glancing at Jonas, who gave him a nod.

"Hyuuga confirmed this for me. There is indeed a Fleet of Fog union core within my body, acting as my heart. It is also keeping me alive currently." he said firmly. Thomas grit his teeth, about to say something when two loud explosions rung from the outer wall. Everyone turned their attention to it, seeing two large plumes of smoke slowly rising. The alarm system suddenly turned on, loud alarms blaring in the area. Jonas sighed, pinching his eyes together.

"Shit, they got here earlier than I thought." he said.

"The simulation did predict a 45% probability rate of early arrival, how shall I proceed?" Isuzu asked.

"We shall away further orders from the captain." he said, glancing at Gunzou, who gave him a nod.

"Sou, is the resupply ready?" he asked.

"All armaments and supplies ready and accounted for."

"Iori, status on engine and hull?"

"All systems are ready to go." the girl replied, a grin on her face.

"Kyouhei, how is our armament?"

"Fire systems are engaged and everything is nominal. We are set to go."

"Alright, Iona over ride the dock's system and launch the vessel." Gunzou said.

"Roger." she replied, bright blue rings appearing around her. Jonas stood up from his stretching his sore limbs. One of the soldiers aimed his gun at him.

"Don't move!" he snapped.

"Let him go...he has us by the balls boys, we can't do anything about it." Thomas said, a pissed off look on his face. Jonas smiled and tapped the man's nose with the tip of his finger.

"Glad you see things my way." he said.

"This is an attack by the Fleet of Fog." Ryoukan said firmly, glaring at Gunzou, who gave him a nod.

"As I thought." he replied. Everyone let out a sudden gasp as the 401 breached the water, landing only a few feet away from the railing. Ryoukan started at the vessel in awe, not believing what he saw seeing.

"Don't make a single move. Stop!" the soldiers cried out, about to fire their weapons when several lasers were aimed right at them. Iona glanced at them, an emotionless look on her face.

"I wouldn't move if I we're you. You will get hurt, and it will probably hurt a lot." she said. The men froze in place, not knowing what to do.  
"All crew board the ship, get to your stations." Gunzou said.

"Isuzu, once they have launched the vessel I want you to engage the system for the F-15, launch it before they dive. I will distract Kirishima and Haruna and await further orders." Jonas said, glancing at his friend.

"Understood, the Sea Hawk is ready to go." she said firmly.

"Chihaya Gunzou, Jonas Rongil...what are you planning to do?" Ryoukan asked, glancing at the two young men.

"What do you mean?" Gunzou asked.

"The Power of I-401, no...of the Fog. It will quite possibly determine the fate of our future world. Depending on the circumstance. Are you fully aware of that?" he asked.

"I don't know what will happen in the future, but I do know that my future will be apart of it it. If there is a way to use this power to make a difference, then I will use it, to see where it takes me."

"Even if it brings you an early death?" the man asked.

"If it was decided by my will, then I have no qualms with it." he replied.

"Same here, I want to see everything this world has to offer, above and below the water. I want to make friends with the Fog, to find a way to co-exist. We can help each other learn and grow together. We can explore new territory, travel far distances and make great advances. In my dream, our world is enriched by the communication and friendship we make with each and every Fleet of Fog member." Jonas said, almost poetically, surprising many of the soldiers around them.

"You are neither human nor Fog, can you said without certainty that your dream will come true?" Ryoukan asked.

"I am what I am because of the friends I have. It matters not if I'm human or if I'm part of the Fog. I was put on this Earth to do a great many things, I will work hard toward my future, even if I have to shed every single drop of blood, sweat and tears in my body on the face of the earth, I will achieve it." he said firmly.

"Hmm...tell me 401, what is the purpose of yourself and your brethren? Is it to gain dominion over this planet? To rule with an iron fist and drive humans to extinction?" he asked.

"I do not know, I am a weapon. I only follow Gunzou's orders...but today I have come to realize, that I exist so that Gunzou can live." she replied, making the man go wide eyed. Jonas gave her a smile.

"Well said. If you excuse us, we have business to attend to." Jonas said, walking toward the glowing blue stairs that would lead onto 401's hull. Once on the deck, he looked around, quite amazed at what he was seeing.

"My first time on a submarine...it's so cool." he said.

"No time to gawk. Get in the plane, we will begin the launch shortly. Are you sure you don't want me to pilot it?" she asked.

"I'm alright. I've never flown a plane drunk, but I'm sure I can manage." he said, climbing onto the wing of the plane. He got into the pilot seat, and started going over his pre-flight checks. Isuzu began checking the plane as well, handing Jonas one of the bluetooth devices that had been created.

"With this, you'll be in constant communications with me and the rest of the crew. I received a message from Miku, they are a few miles behind schedule but will be arriving in twenty minutes." she nodded. Jonas glanced at Gunzou, giving him a nod.

"Can you hold them off for 20 minutes?" he asked.

"Easily...Good luck out there Jonas...and thanks, everything went a bit smoother with you here."

"No problem, we captains have to stick together. Isuzu, I want you to follow Gunzou's orders to the letter. Focus on the plane, but also provide Iona with extra power should she need it, it's gonna be a long battle." he said.

"Aye captain. It might be a long battle, but we'll pull a win." she said, giving him a wink. He nodded firmly. It wasn't long before the ship pulled away from the restaurant and started slowly turning, aiming to face the wall. Three more explosions rung through the area, and large sections of the wall took a tumble to the waters below. Jonas took a deep breath and flicked the switch, turning the engine on. Flicking another switch, he engaged the portable Klein field, the glowing green shield bathing over him and the plane.

"Kirishima, Haruna...you've messed with the wrong Captain." he muttered under his breath. He felt the launcher start to move, picking up speed, he pulled the lever up just as he reached the end of the deck and pull up high into the air. The battle had just begun...


	10. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello the Internet and welcome to my Eighth chapter of Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Emerald Eagles. Last Chapter, we got to see the interactions between Jonas Rongil and Gunzou Chihaya, both being captains of their fleets. They also faced the might of the Japanese Government, with Ryoukan Kita and Thomas Rongil making it obvious that they wanted nothing more than for both fleets to cease operation. Of course, Jonas had none of that and not only shut down his uncle, but also shut down that bottle of wine. Now we head into the battle of Yokosuka, where they will face off against Kirishima and Haruna. Will they win? or Will they loose?**

 **I would like to thank everyone who's reading this. I hope you all enjoy it...if you have any questions, make sure to PM me on here, or you can reach me on my twitter, CelestialSkyDragon SkyDragon421. I hope you all have a wonderful day.**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 8

Finally making it to their destination, the two fast battleships wasted no time in entering the Port of Yokosuka. The sounds of their guns filled the area as hot glowing blasts of energy tore through any ship that was attempting to sink them. Several ships were sinking, their crew being put in danger knowing full well that they didn't stand a chance against two Fast Battleships. Their meager blasts hit their Klein filled, not doing a single ounce of damage. Kirishima and Haruna just kept sailing, as if nothing.

" _Please, I don't want to die!"_ a crew man screamed, as the fire was starting to surround him.

"I don't want to die, a refusal to the shutdown of oneself. Entry has been tagged, cataloged and saved." Haruna muttered, her eyes scanning the waters in front of her.

"Are you collecting words again?" Kirishima asked, glancing at her sister.

"Words comprise a primordial, beautiful system." was her only reply. Kirishima frowned, eyes narrowed in thought.

"I fail to comprehend. As a means to communicate, it is far to complicated and inefficient. If we use the transit comm system, we can say anything we want without any lag." she replied.

She paused, watching several rockets flying at them. She just watched emotionless as her klein field took the hits. She glanced at Haruna, who had also just been staring at them.

"Klein field operating at 3%. Why do humans show such futile gestures?" she asked.

"Shall we silence them?" Kirishima asked, a smirk on her face. Haruna gave her a nod. Opening her missile launchers, Kirishima fired her High-Voltage dischargers. The five pods hovered above the human ships and opened up, releasing a bright green bolt of electricity that stopped the ships dead in the water. Fires broke out within the vessels, as the crew men were trying everything in their power not to fall victim to the Fog. Kirishima sighed, shaking her head.

"They just don't give up." she said, aiming her turrets at them. They started glowing a bright green as they begun charging energy.

" _Spare us!"_ a sailor screamed, hoping to whatever God out there the ships would listen.

"Spare us. A phrase impulsively uttered by those who have lost the will to fight. A phrase that means surrender. Entree has been tagged, cataloged, and saved." Haruna muttered. Kirishima was about to fire when both vessels jerked, a bright red flash appearing near the keel of their ships.

"Corrosive torpedoes!" she cried.

"Adjusting Klein field and engaging countermeasures." Haruna said, her eyes glossed over her window, increasing the Klein field until the corrosive torpedoes were absorbed. She was about to say something when the familiar sound of an engine filled her ears. She looked up, eyes widened when she saw a glowing float plane heading toward them. It opened fire on them, a glowing stream of bullets slamming into her field. It zoomed past them, quickly climbing back into the air.

"So, he's here. I wasn't expecting him to join forces with 401." Kirishima said, a smirk tugging her lips.

"Perhaps we should have destroyed them after all. 401 has been detected, she's coming right at us." Haruna said, looking at her search system.

"Confirmed hit on both corrosive torpedoes. Klein field deployment also confirmed." Shizuka said firmly, glancing back at her captain.

"Do they have mental models?" Gunzou asked, earning a nod from Iona.

"Yes, it's Kirishima and Haruna."

"Both of them are fast battleship class eh? Man, I was hoping to have some down time on my first home coming in a while." Kyouhei said dejectedly, typing a few things onto his console.

" _My bullets aren't able to penetrate the field. I'll have to adjust their power and see if I can come at them again."_ Jonas said, his voice sounded a bit strained, especially with the loudness of the engine.

"Iona, attract their attention. We'll lure them away from the base."

"So, what's the plan here? Lead them out to sea and take care of them there?" Kyouhei asked, leaning back in his seat.

"No, we have come court advantage here. We have to sink at least one of them, or distract them until our back up arrives." Gunzou replied.

"In order to neutralize the Klein field of a fast battleship, a blast from the Super Gravity cannon is required." Iona said.

"Yes, but that cannon was damaged in our earlier encounter with Takao. So we can't use it, furthermore, it took fifteen corrosive torpedoes to sink the Fast Battleship Hyuuga. We currently only have seven, no..since we fired two, we only have five." Sou said, displaying their current armament on the big screen. Isuzu sighed.

"If only we had gotten there earlier. We could have used our Super Gravity Cannon on Takao, and yours would still work." she said, glancing at her golden rings, scanning the information available to her. She was trying to find a solution to their problem, but was having no luck in finding anything.

"It isn't your fault Isuzu. You can't always predict everything accurately." Iona said, making the raven haired girl smile a bit.

"Man, we're in a serious bind here." Kyouhei said. Gunzou narrowed his eyes, glancing at his Sonar operator.

"Shizuka, can you give me the current tidal atlas for the area within the barrier."

"Roger. Ah, Kirishima and Haruna are starting to turn, Kirishima's bearing is 212, Haruna's bearing is 215." she cried out.

"Iona, you have control of our depth, crawl us along the ocean floor." Gunzou said.

"Crawling." she cried, placing her hands together, she started diving deeper into the ocean.

"Jonas, can you keep them distracted for a bit while we initiate phase one?" Gunzou asked.

" _You got it boss."_

"So, she dove, will she run?" Kirishima asked, looking over her port side.

"No, it doesn't look like she's heading to open sea. As expected, 401's actions are completely different from her old battle parameters. Her actions are unknown to us." Haruna said. Gunfire filled the area as the sea plane came for a second around. Kirishima felt rather annoyed, but was also impressed at the damage the field was taking.

"Adjusting the field by 1%. It seems Shimakaze's float plane got a few upgrades." she said.

"You can thank Shiretoko for that. Try to ignore it, he's only distracting us from our real objective." Haruna said, as she continued turning about.

"Understood." she said. Haruna looked around for a second, before glancing at her sister.

"Give me a chance with her, I wish to speak with her."

"Haruna...alright." Kirishima said.

Iona looked up a bit confused, glancing at Gunzou.

"Something wrong?"

"Haruna wants to talk to me." she said. He gave her a nod.

"Isuzu, go with her. She might need some backup."

"Understood."

Finding herself in the familiar pavilion, Isuzu followed Iona both slowly approaching the two battleships. They both had stoic looks on their faces, or rather in Kirishima's case, a bored one. The two of them stood in front of the battleships, waiting for them to start.

"It's been awhile, 401. This is our first time meeting in this form. Isuzu, so good of you to accompany her. Enjoying your time as a human slave?" Kirishima asked.

"It has its ups and downs." she said simply.

"What do you want with me?" Iona asked curiously. Kirishima smirked.

"Why don't you sit down, I heard humans do that when they engage in conversation." the brunette replied. She nodded, taking the seat in front of her.

"I'll remain standing, thanks for the offer." Isuzu said smugly. Kirishima rolled her eyes, glancing back at Iona.

"We were sent on a mission to sink you, but Haruna here wanted to speak with you first."

"401, why is it that you side with humans? What compels you to do so?" she asked curiously.

"Not sure if you heard, but Takao also abandoned her duties. It was after meeting you."

"Takao has?" Iona asked, earning a nod from her.

"She's in search of a human crew. Aren't the Takao-class vessels just the greatest?" Kirishima asked, glaring at Isuzu, who just glared at her.

"We have already made these forms, Kongou has reached the conclusion that we don't need to observe humans anymore. Why do you side with them? Do they have something more to offer or?" Haruna asked.

"I don't know. But I need a captain right now, I am Chihaya Gunzou's ship." Iona replied.

"I see."

Iona blinked a few times, having been cut off from the communication. Isuzu shook her head, her focus back onto the battle screen before her.

"Are you alright?" Gunzou asked, earning a nod from her.

"I'm fine."

"Okay, I'm going to lay out our strategy right now. Here are our current positions. We will continue drawing Kirishima and Haruna in this direction, we will deploy our operation when we reach Mikasa Park."

"That's where phase two begins, I take it?" Sou asked.

"That's right. Iori, engines at maximum output."

"Roger!" the orange haired girl cried, quickly increasing their speed. As they dove, they started seeing the tall buildings that once made up the old Yokosuka city.

"This is old Yokosuka city, it sank due to the rise in sea levels. Good move captain." Sou said, impressed with his friend's abilities.

"Sonar scatter will occur here, with all of these buildings it will be harder to find us. Jonas you can learn a thing or two from Gunzou!" Isuzu said jokingly.

" _Ha ha, we don't have a submarine in our fleet so this would be useless to us. I'm engaging again."_

"Copy that! Iori, cut the engines." he said.

"Um...okay." she said. The ship slowed down almost to a halt, but kept moving due to the currents.

"There are vents in the defense barrier at regular intervals. Due to the ocean water entering and leaving this area, water rushes through these buildings, creating complex currents. If we use them accordingly, we can get behind our enemy. Kyouhei, scatter the canisters."

"Understood." the man said, typing a few things into his console. With one final key stroke, he deployed several of their automatic canisters.

"Good thing we got those from Jonas, I didn't think we would make use of them already." Sou said.

"We'll see just how effective they truly are. The enemy ships are moving over the submerged buildings." Shizuka said.

"Now Iona."

"Understood." she said, expanding her rings a bit. She activated the automatic canisters, firing all of the missiles they contained.

Kirishima sighed as she watched the submarine's feeble attempt at an attack. Raising her hand, she placed her surface-to surface system into the water, the shock wave was enough to destroy all of the incoming missiles.

"Multiple torpedoes were fired from various directions, they were not from 401, it seems like they were semi-automated torpedo launchers." Haruna said.

"What, are they trying to ditch us?" Kirishima asked curiously. She rose her hand, sending several torpedoes down into the water, destroying every torpedo launcher that had been scattered.

"It would seem all of the torpedo launchers were neutralized."

"So, these are the toys she gets for letting humans inboard?" the brunette asked, clearly annoyed.

"I fail to comprehend the point, but they were effective. We have lost 401's current location." she said. Unable to do anything, she decided it was best to stop. She sighed, glancing at her sister.

"401's actions are completely unknown to us. Hyuuga and Takao both failed to see them, and both of them have left our fleet." she continued.

"So, are you saying we're going to sink?" her sister asked curiously.

"That is not what I mean, but we're it to happen, we might experience regret."

"Regret?" Kirishima asked curiously.

"It expresses ones delayed vexation over a decision made in error."

"Heh...how ridiculous. What use is there in rejecting something that has already happened?"

"I do not know, but it seems humans do it quite frequently." Haruna said. The familiar sound of the float plane once again filled their ears as Jonas had come back for another round at them. The young man grit his teeth in anger and opened fire at them.

"I'm getting really pissed at this kid." Kirishima said angrily. She rose her turrets and took aim, firing directly at his plane. He ducked and weaved through all of the gunfire, somehow dodging it all. He came back around, a smirk on his lips.

"I finally programmed this one, just for you...hope you like loosing several sensors bitch!" he cried, pressing the red button on his console. A loud hiss filled the area as he fired his only thanatonium warhead at Kirishima. The missile flew at a rapid pace, aiming to slam into her poop deck. The mental model grit her teeth, adjusting her field.

"Thanatonium readings ahead of us." Haruna said.

"What?" Kirishima cried. Two simultaneous explosions filled her ears, jerking her vessel a bit. Thankfully, Haruna had been able to adjust the field in time for her to absorb the hit.

"That wasn't from an active decoy." Haruna said. Kirishima smirked, eyeing the active nanomaterial before her.

"It seems she gave up the game of hide and seek. Too bad for them I guess." she said, adjusting her turrets. They started glowing a bright green as they charged energy. Jonas nodded to himself, knowing it was a perfect time to attack. He swung back around, aiming to open fire at them. Haruna's eyes widened a bit and she looked behind them, seeing the familiar glow of a thanatonium warhead.

"Kirishima!" she cried. The brunette, grit her teeth as the surprise attack caused her ship to jerk forward. Her turrets ended up firing the large green blasts off target. Jonas jerked his plane to the right, trying to avoid the incoming firepower, only for it to blast the tail of the plane clean off the fuselage. He started spinning out, rapidly heading toward the water.

"What the hell was that? 401 is in front of us!" Kirishima screamed. She snapped her eyes away from the search system, eyeing Jonas's falling plane.

"That vessel isn't 401, it seems she spread her active particles on another ship. The battleship Mikasa, launched in 1902 as part of Japan's Imperial Fleet." Haruna said. A loud slam filled their ears as Jonas's plane finally hit the water. It wasn't long before it exploded, bright green smoke and nanomaterial filling the air.

"At least we got rid of the thorn in our side." she said.

"Jonas! Are you alright?" Isuzu cried out, a shocked expression on her face.

" _I'm fine, a little wet but otherwise alright."_ he replied.

"Man, that was a failure...not only that but we also revealed our location to Kirishima and Haruna." Kyouhei said firmly.

"Not only that, but Jonas is also in danger. Iori, engines at maximum output, Full Speed Ahead!"

"Full Speed Ahead." Iona mirrored, increasing the speed of the vessel.

"Jeez, are you planning to ram into them?" Kyouhei asked, clearly shocked.

"No, we're just a distraction now." Gunzou said, a smirk on his lips.

"Huh?"

"They're...they're just toying with us! Good 401, I've never had so much fun! Indeed we are weapons, our purpose is to engage and destroy the enemy, its our sole reason for being alive. That's right, I'm going to sink them with my own hands!" Kirishima shouted angrily.

" _Kirishima's emotion emulator values are rapidly changing. This is..."_ Haruna glanced at her sister, who had risen her hands high above her.

"I will sink you!" she cried loudly, her missile tubes opening up with a loud snap. She fired several missiles into the water, all of them targeting the submarine. However, what she wasn't expecting was for half of her missiles to be destroyed enroute. Her eyes widened and she snapped her attention toward the defense barrier, seeing a familiar glowing pink cruiser steaming toward them.

"What the hell?"

"Kirishima, I'm detecting Maya's call sign, she's here..and it seems she isn't here to assist us." Haruna said. Kirishima balled her hands in anger, glaring at her search system, seeing the new dot in her sonar. 401 had just passed underneath them. With two ships against them, their workload had gotten a lot bigger.

"Those humans have some nerve don't they? Oh well, it seems we'll have to sink them both!"

"Shiki, Full Speed Ahead!" Taco cried, gripping his seat tightly. Shiki's vibrant green lines expanded and the ship jerked forward.

"I got a message from Isuzu, Jonas is in the water, we need to pick him up!" she said.

"Will do, fire all of the missiles we got, distract Kirishima as much as you can!"

"Understood, shifting our heading to bearing 256 and firing port side missile tubes." she cried. Smoke filled the area as 46 missiles were fired directly at Kirishima, who was trying to avoid the incoming fire power.

"You meanies let me go! You are hurting my friends!" Maya cried loudly.

"Shut up, you have no say in the matter." Shiki snapped, glaring at the girl, who they had been forced to tie up. She was currently sitting against the back wall, her arms and legs bound with glowing green rope, the tracer on her forehead still glowing brightly.

"Haruna, I leave Maya to you. I have some business to settle!" Kirishima snapped angrily. She snapped her fingers, firing everything she had deep into the water. She wasn't going to let a heavy cruiser distract her from destroying 401. Maya's hull was fast approaching, and Haruna knew if she didn't do something, their fate would be sealed.

"Do you think we'll survive this?" Kyouhei cried, holding on for dear life as Kirishima's missiles slammed into them.

"The klein field is operating at 95%, we have a 5% buffer. We'll be fine." Iona said.

"Isn't that already pushing it?"

"Now, Gunzou!" the blue haired girl cried, ignoring the frightened anime lover.

"Anchor the boat!"

The port side anchor shot out into the water, snagging the old cement that made up the sunken city. With a firm jerk, the boat slammed hard into the ground, the buildings around them crumbled, heavy bits of debris surrounding them from all sides.

"Is everyone alright?" Gunzou asked, looking around at his crew.

"Ow, my back hurts!" Kyouhei cried.

"Life support systems nominal." Sou replied, spinning his helmet back around his head.

"The engines survived as well." Iori cried out.

"The anchor is also fine." Shizuka said. Gunzou nodded, looking at the screen.

"Am I right to assume we're in phase three?" Isuzu asked, earning a nod from the captain. She sighed, glancing at her screen.

"Several sensors and compartments have been damaged. We took a lot of heavy hits to the stern. We only have a 2% buffer on our Klein field." she said.

"We'll be fine. After all we got company." Gunzou said with a smile.

Above the water, Jonas had finally been picked up by his friends. He was soaking wet, but he didn't really care at the moment. He glanced back at the two flagships, both of which were currently steaming toward them. He raced toward where he assumed the bridge was, ducking into a side door. He slipped into a hallway, finally making it into the bridge.

"Mind explaining why you came here on a heavy cruiser?" he asked, glancing at Shiki and Taco, who could only smirk at him.

"We wanted to make an entrance." Shiki replied.

"Look alive, Kirishima and Haruna are heading toward us." Taco said.

"Fire everything you can, I want the engines at maximum speed, we're gonna ram the two of them!"

"What? You can't do that!" Maya snapped.

"Engine output at maximum. Full Speed Ahead!" Shiki said, completely ignoring Maya's outburst. Jonas hung on tightly as the ship picked up speed, heading directly toward their enemies.

"They're coming right at us. What is Maya thinking?" Kirishima asked.

"I don't think it's Maya who's in control...I can't connect with her at all..she wouldn't do something like this, not without a reason at least." Haruna replied.

"Damn humans, always think they can do whatever they want. We'll show them, 401 is where we want her to be, buried under rubble. We'll show them both exactly what we can do." Kirishima said, raising her hands above her, several glowing green rings appeared above her hull, surrounding her vessel in a bright green light.

"Hmm...I shall join you." Haruna said, following her sister's footsteps. Both ships started glowing brightly as they started to shift course, moving closer to each other.

"What...what the hell is going on?" Taco asked, unable to understand what was going on.

"The sea...will split open." Shiki said firmly, her eyes scanning the area ahead of her. She instantly put her engines in reverse, just in time to avoid falling into the graviton path. She jerked back as much as she could, swinging the vessel to the port side. Jonas watched in amazement as the two ships docked together. The result caused 401 to literally start floating in mid air.

"Gunzou, are you alright?" Jonas asked, a tone of worry in his voice.

" _Aye, we're fine. We intend to sink them both, wait for our signal and fire everything you have at them."_

"Understood, Shiki standby and load every missile launcher and torpedo tube with everything Maya has."

"Roger captain, loading everything we can into all available tubes and launchers." she said. The whole vessel seemed to shake as the sounds of tubes opening and closing filled the area.

"Not a bad struggle your putting up 401. Not a bad struggle at all." Kirishima said.

"Critical degeneracy will be reached in ten percent." Haruna said. The glow of the klein field died down a bit as a hole was opened in the field, pointing directly at 401.

" _Fire all!"_

"Now Shiki!" Jonas cried out. The heavy cruiser jerked in all directions as hundreds of missiles were launched at the two Fast Battleships, their pink glow intermingled with 401's glowing blue projectiles. Kirishima grit her teeth and increased the output of the field.

"Struggling will get you nowhere. Both of you are in close proximity, so we'll be the ones who win this time!" Kirishima snapped angrily.

"When firing the super gravity cannon, the ship has to open a hole in the field in the direction they will be firing. They can't do both things at the same time, thus a mental model must devote most of her processing power to the task. As such all of their other operations take a hit. This is our chance." Shiki said.

"Fine, load whatever we have left. We'll leave the finale to the 401 and attack accordingly." Jonas said firmly.

Jonas watched as 401 fired a single thanatonium warhead directly at the two ships. Kirishima quickly adjusted her field, making the charge explode, the energy being absorbed.

"We won't let you hit us 401!" she snapped.

"Critical degeneracy reached." Haruna said.

"This is the end 401!" Kirishima cried, raising her hand as she prepared to fire the cannon. Her eyes widened as she heard the sound of a thanatonium charge, heading directly into the center of the two joined ships. It hit the very core, exploding outward.

"Emergency stop on super gravity cannon launch sequence. Deploying Klein field!" Haruna cried, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

"Where did that even come from?" she screamed, glaring around, her eyes widened, seeing another missile pod, on the deck of the sunken battleship.

"Another missile pod...hidden in Mikasa's shadows?" she asked, disbelief written on her face.

"Unable to maintain control of degeneracy levels." Haruna said, the strain on her face visible.

"Can't calculate field deployment in time."

"Unable to halt launch sequence. We're...going to break!" Haruna cried out, she had never felt fear before, but was clear that she was feeling it now. She couldn't understand what was happening, why everything was going wrong.

"Now Shiki, fire everything you got!" Jonas cried. She nodded snapping her fingers, firing the last barrage of missiles at the two ships. 401 followed suits, launching as many missiles as they possibly could.

" _This can't be happening...are we going to lose?"_ Haruna thought, as she held back the incoming missiles as best she could.

" _How can we lose? Our specifications vastly surpassed 401's...and yet."_ Kirishima thought, staring at her hand. Her mental model was starting to break, just like the rest of her ship. She was scared, she didn't want this to happen to her...she wanted to go on, she wanted to spend more time with her sister, and listen to the words she had collected. She wanted to sail the oceans for a little while longer. Tears slipped from her eyes, the foreign feeling enveloping her core. The deck around her broke under her, and was sucked into the rapidly glowing vortex. Her body glowed a bright green.

"Haruna!" she cried, looking at her sister.

" _What is this...what is this feeling!"_

"Haruna...I don't want to die...I don't want to die!" Kirishima cried. Haruna grit her teeth and jumped off her deck, flying right at her sister. Her body was slowly sucked into the vortex, but in her hand lied her glowing union core. If she couldn't save her physical form, she could at least do this. She spun around hugging the core tightly against herself.

"So...this is regret, huh?" she asked herself. A bright green glow filled her line of sight, followed by a loud explosion, the loudest she would ever hear in her entire life.

Jonas watched with rapt attention as the two Fast battleships exploded into a brilliant green glow. Their ship jerked hard as the water that was being displaced was finally returned, the pressure of the explosion almost knocking him off his feet. For several seconds the bright green energy filled the area, before finally dying down, the only thing that was left of the two battleships was the glittering nanomaterial which was slowly falling to earth, almost looking like falling snow.

Jonas's throat tightened a bit and he clutched his chest, his beating heart stung and he didn't know why. He looked out the window again, feeling fresh tears falling down his face. His eyes widened as he finally understood what had happened.

"They...regret fighting us...they didn't want to die." he said.

"Of course they didn't want to die, I don't think anyone wants to die." Taco said, a firm look on his face.

"Shiki, scan the area...Kirishima and Haruna...please tell me if they're alive!" he said. Her eyes widened a bit, but she gave him a nod expanding her search radius. She looked for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry Jonas, but their signal is lost. They were in the center of that explosion, and most likely were destroyed as a result." she said. He sighed, a frown appearing on his face.

"I'll be on deck." he said, turning to leave the bridge, a slight sloshing sound filling the area as he left.

"Um...what's wrong with him? He was so excited a second ago." Maya asked. Shiki glared at the brunette, her cheeks puffed out.

"What you just saw is something called regret. We as beings from the Fleet of Fog have no need to experience it, but humans do it all the time. Deep down, Jonas wanted to make friends with them, even if they sunk my ship and even if they attacked people. He wanted to make them understand what was going on, and he failed. Kirishima and Haruna...they are the first two mental models he didn't save." Shiki replied. Maya frowned, nodding in understanding. It was a hard thing to process, but she was at least more understanding of it.

"Hey Shimakaze...I think you can let me go. I promise not to cause trouble." She said.

"Not until our captain gives the order." she said simply.

"Boo! You aren't any fun!" she exclaimed.

Jonas stood out on the boat deck, just watching the nanomaterials slowly falling to the earth below. He heard a loud fog horn and looked to his right, seeing Theta's hull slowly approaching them. The water broke beside him, as 401 surfaced after a long battle. He sighed, leaning against the railing of the ship.

"Kirishima...Haruna...you both finally understood didn't you? That regret...the satisfaction you got in the end...you felt it because even though you failed, you understood what was happening. Fate is a cruel mistress isn't she?" he muttered, looking at the pale moon light.

"Jonas, great job. I wasn't expecting your crew to have snagged a heavy cruiser." Gunzou said, finally coming onto the deck of 401, Iona by his side. He forced a smile onto his face, giving him a nod.

"Neither was I. Honestly, I was expecting this to be a little harder on us, but Maya's firepower is no joke. How is everything with you Iona? Any damages?" he asked.

"Various compartments and sensors have been lost due to the graviton field we were in, the compression was something our field couldn't handle. We'll need to return to our home port in order to fix it." she replied.

"We also used up almost all of our armament during this battle. We only have 1 corrosive torpedo left."

"Don't worry about it, once we dock I'll give Shiki the order. Maya is most likely going to refuse joining us, so I have no choice but to rid myself of her hull. You'll be taking half of her armament with you, plus whatever we can salvage from Kirishima and Haruna's hulls, if there's anything to salvage that is." he said, once again regaining his frown.

"Jonas...it's alright. I know you wanted to make friends with them..but we had no choice. Ships follow their captain's orders, down to the very end." she said. He gasped a bit in shock, before uttering a small laugh.

"That's right...you are a really smart girl Iona." he said.

The rest of the night was no more than a blur for Jonas. He didn't really remember going back to the docks, but he did watch the 401 getting placed back into the underground dry dock. The government said nothing about the other two Fog ships that had appeared in the midst of battle. Jonas had simply told Isuzu, Theta and Shiki to remain on stand by while he docked Maya's hull in one of the spare outdoor docks. They woke up rather early the next day, or rather Jonas woke up rather early. He had trouble sleeping so he had gone out to the deck.

As he walked by the forward compartments, he heard a loud thud come from one of the doors. He sighed and pulled it open, jumping back as Maya slammed into the ground, uttering a cry of pain. She looked up at him, teary eyed.

"Food!" she cried. He sighed and knelt down in front of her, untying the ropes around her.

"I was about to head into town, you can come with me." he said, tossing the rope aside. The girl hopped to her feet, brushing her dress off.

"Thanks mister, but just remember when I regain control of my ship, I'm going to blow you up!" she said. He grabbed the tracer on her forehead and yanked it off, causing her to cry loudly in pain.

"Sure, I'd like to see you try squirt." he said, walking back onto the deck. Maya followed suit, rubbing her forehead in anger. She was glad to not have the tracer on anymore, but she still had no control of her vessel. They reached the metal gangplank and started descending down into the docks below them, a few fishermen passed by him, all of them in awe of the Fog vessel currently docked before them. He gave them a silent nod as he passed.

"Are there any fishies here?" Maya asked curiously, looking at the empty buckets.

"Not yet lass, hopefully soon." the man said, giving her a warm smile. He wasn't aware she was a mental model, though if he was then he was doing a good job of hiding it. She noticed Jonas was slowly getting further away and ran off, wanting to catch up to him.

"Hey mister, why are you so sad?" she asked curiously.

"I killed two of your friends, that's why I'm sad."

"Oh...you mean those two...well I am a little sad that they're gone but...as long as their memories live on, the aren't truly dead...is that what Kongou would say?" she asked herself, loosing herself in thought.  
"Kongou...your flagship?"

"She's my best friend! We've been together forever, but she's always so serious...I want her to try jam with her tea." she said. He looked at her oddly.

"That's an odd thing to say. You just want her to try something like that?" he asked curiously.

"Mhmm...Kongou is always working hard, following the Admirality code, and then there are meanies like you and big sis Isuzu who just ruin her day. 401 and all of the ships that have left the Fleet are meanies, they make Kongou mad, and that makes me mad!" she said. They were in the city, not that far from the docks. Jonas felt a slight crunch under his boots and looked down, seeing all of the nanomaterial that had once made up Kirishima and Haruna piled up on the roads and side walks. People were brushing it off with large brooms, while others just played and drew in it. He frowned and kept walking, getting closer to the market place.

"Maybe your friend wouldn't need to work so hard if you all relaxed. Working all the time non-stop...doesn't that get tiring?" he asked.

"We are weapons, we can't get tired. The Admirality code forbids us to do what we want." She replied simply.

"Does that Admirality code also forbid happiness? Does it not care at all what you want? You want your friend to be happy right? What if leaving the fleet is the only option? Would you go against the code then?" he asked.

"Maya doesn't want to disobey. The Admirality code and Kongou are the only ones that tell Maya what to do." she said, sticking her tongue out at him. He chuckled.

"You know...you are more human than you give yourself credit for." he said.

"If you say so." the girl replied, growing curious at all of the things around her. She had never been to a market place, so seeing all of the fresh food and produce was something new to her. She passed by a stand selling fresh fish, the glassy eyed look on their faces made her feel uneasy so she continued following after Jonas. He stopped by a food stand and gave the woman a smile.

"What can I get you this fine morning young man?" she asked politely.

"May I have a basket of fruits please? It doesn't matter which kinds." he said.

"Right away. Is that young lady your girlfriend? She looks really pretty." the woman asked, glancing at Maya.

"Hmm...what's a girlfriend?" she asked curiously. Jonas chuckled, shaking his head.

"Sorry ma'am. Maya here is...an acquaintance at most."

"Ah, my mistake." she said. After preparing the basket, Jonas handed her the money, which she gratefully accepted. He thanked her for the fruits and went on his way, handing Maya one of the red apples from the top.

"Mister, I have a question."

"You can call me Jonas, we're on a first name basis after all." he said.

"Um..okay...so my question...what's a girlfriend?" she asked. He stopped briefly, looking at the glowing blue sky. The sun was already out and the clouds were quite puffy.

"Can't you look that information up yourself? Mental models have access to everything on the planet."

"I could look it up, but that wouldn't be fun. I want to hear it from a human, so that I can tell Kongou about it later. She thinks you have nothing left to offer us, something new might cheer her up."

"Really? Well, I guess I can humor you. A girlfriend is...well she's someone special. A person whom you can share everything with, your likes, dislikes, quirks, talents, embarrassing secrets. Most importantly, a girlfriend is someone you can share your love with."

"Love...what's love?" she asked.

"Jeez kid, you are really making this harder on me. Love is something you feel when you are with someone important. When you get that giddy feeling in your heart, like it's about to jump out of your chest. You start feeling a little hot, and you start blushing like crazy. You get a stupid look on your face that just screams it. You get all nervous and clam up when they talk to you, that's love. Of course love is something than can be shared with countless other things. Family members have love for each other, a love that's familiar and comforting. You can have love for something else too, like a toy that you play with, or a song that you listen too. But pure unadulterated love, like the one you feel toward another person...that's different..it's the purest form of love there is." he said.

"Hmm...so...I spend a lot of time with Kongou, and she's my friend...does that make her my girlfriend?"

"No...Maya it isn't that simple. Love can exist between different people, whether men or women, or even Fleet of Fog members. I guess if you like spending time with her and like it when she's around, then it is one form of love. But it isn't the same love people have for each other. That kind of love leads to other things, like hand holding, dating...kissing...maybe marriage and children...who knows really." he said. They reached a small park that was on a hill, which overlooked most of the area. He glanced toward the left most part of the docks, seeing a path that extended up to a large mansion on a hill. Piles of nanomaterial lay scattered everywhere, and it seemed that place had the most of it. He narrowed his eyes a bit, seeing a large hole in one of the barns. It almost looked like a person made it. He looked around for a few more seconds, seeing a little girl wondering over there. She looked vaguely familiar to him.

"I think I get it know. Hand holding and kissing and junk is what makes people love each other. Girlfriends and boyfriends do it all the time because their in love. Hmm...does that mean you were in love with those two? Kirishima and Haruna?"

"Huh?" he asked, tearing his eyes from the barns to look at the girl.

"Well...you had that far off look on your face and your were crying. My files say when someone dies, people cry...and if you say people feel things when they are in love, it must mean you loved them."

"Well...you aren't wrong...but what I felt last night wasn't love for them, it was regret...I regret not being able to make friends with them, for firing all of those rockets at them, for taking their lives. I destroyed two mental models who had a lot of things ahead of them. Sure, they were our enemy, but only because of the Admirality code. If only they had given us the chance to interact with them, to give them a reason not to fight us, I think we could have been friends. That's the truth."

"Jonas...you are a weird human." Maya said, taking a big bite from her apple. He sighed, looking away from the brunette.

"It would seem so."

"You we're staring at that little girl earlier...are you in love with her?"

"No, that's just morally wrong. I think you have this whole love thing messed up...maybe you should go back to your Supreme Flagship and have her cleanse your core." he said, walking away from her, munching on an apple.

"Hey, my core is squeaky clean! If you must know, I conducted some research on that little girl, and it seems that it was a good amount of processing power well spent. Her name is Okasabe Makie, and she happens to be living alone in that large mansion on the hill." she said, jerking her thumb toward the large house that overlooked the ocean.

"She is? All by herself?" he asked curiously.

"It would seem her father is deceased. She lives alone with three care takers, that's all the information I can find." Maya replied, taking another bite from her apple.

"Hmm...so..it would seem we have something in common then."

"Ah, there you are Jonas, I was looking all over for you." the familiar voice of his uncle filled his ears, making him grit his teeth. He turned around, glaring at the man.

"What do _you_ want?" he asked.

"I came to let you know that you and your friends are no longer pirates in the eyes of the US Government. You did us a great service last night, ridding us of those monsters. But just remember, I can always put you back on that list." the man said.

"Like I give a shit what you do. Whether I'm a pirate or not, it doesn't matter, fact of the matter is that you have no control over me and there is nothing you can do to stop me. I will get my revenge for what's been done to me, you can be sure of that." he said, brushing past the man, with Maya at his side.

"Would you mind doing me a favor?" he asked.

"What? Did get enough last night? I got rid of those _monsters_ for you without being asked, what else do you want from me?"

"Please...if you get the chance to reach the Florida peninsula...could you give my little sister this. I wish for her to know that I am sorry for what I did." he said, handing him a sealed letter, with his mother's name on it. He looked at it, lips pursed in thought.

"You do know my mother could be dead right?" he asked.

"I know that...but I also know that Jessica isn't one to take things lying down. This is my only request, after this I'll be out of your hair, permanently, unless you decide to piss off our government." he said, taking his leave. Jonas narrowed his eyes, holding the letter to the light, sadly he couldn't see anything. He sighed and placed the letter inside his pocket.

"Come Maya, we must make preparations to leave port. Afterwards, my crew and I will find a place to release you." he said.

"Alright, I guess I can follow you for a little longer. Say, have you ever put jam in your tea? If so what does it taste like? Is it sweet? Sour? Is it gross and slimy?" she asked. Jonas sighed, trying to ignore the rapid fire questions the Heavy Cruiser kept shooting at him. He felt a small smile make its way onto his face. He didn't know why, but he felt really happy for some reason. He continued walking, a spring in his step. There were preparations to be made and he'd be damned if he let Maya distract him.


	11. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello everyone...today I bring you chapter 9 of Arpeggio of Blue Steel, today we get to see the aftermath of the battle against Kirishima and Haruna and get to see what happened to them afterwards. I spent a good while watching the episode where all of these events take place, and I wrote it afterwards, so some of it maybe linear with that episode. I tried to make it as different as I could, but sometimes that's a little difficult. Regardless, here is the chapter so I hope you all like it.**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 9

She didn't know how long it had been, but the first thing that came to Haruna's mind was the explosion. She had been on the deck of her ship, watching as everything around her caught fire. She remembered, feeling regret, for what had happened and what she had done. She also remembered jumping off the bridge of her ship to catch Kirishima's core. She felt like she was floating on a cloud, enveloped by it's warmth. In her mind, she thought she was dead, who could survive a grand explosion after a failed attempt at firing a Super Gravity Cannon?

She felt something on her face, as if she was being poked. That's when she realized she wasn't dead, that she had just been unconscious. She instantly jumped to her feet, eyes wide as she looked around the room, however the after effects of the battle had quickly caught up to her, and she fell back down onto the bed she was laying on, groaning a bit in pain.

"Um...are you okay?" a quiet voice asked. Haruna forced her eyes opened and she turned onto her back, glancing lazily to her left.

She was met with the wide brown eyes of a little girl. She had light colored skin, and medium to dark brown hair, tied into two ponytails with bright green ribbons. She had bangs over her eyes, though they were parted to the left. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt over her small frame, with bright blue overalls. Haruna groaned in pain, her eyes widening a bit when she saw her black coat in her hands. She reached a dainty hand up, trying to grab it.

"That...coat." she mumbled. The little girl pulled it away from her just before she could grab it.

"So it _is_ yours. It's pretty big." the girl said. Haruna tried to reach for it again, though the girl pulled it away from her. She tried several more times, only to fail. Her lower lip quivered a bit and she sat at the edge of the bed, small tears slipping from her eyes.

"Sniffle sniffle."

The little girl found it a bit odd that the older girl was crying over a coat. It must have meant a lot to her if she was crying over it. She smiled and climbed onto the bed, placing the coat over her shoulders.

"Here you go!" she said happily. Haruna looked at her, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you." she said quietly. She slipped her arms through the sleeves, hopping onto her feet.

"Shazam." she said in a monotone, regaining her composure. She was stiff and had an emotionless, blank look on her face. The little girl looked at her in confusion, seeing just how big the coat truly was. Her long blond hair barely visible from it, served as the only thing to look at in the sea of black and yellow.

"Um...my name is Okasabe Makie. What is your name?" the little girl asked curiously.

"Haruna."

"What's the rest of your name?" she asked curiously.

"Just Haruna." the blonde replied, little emotion in her voice. The girl's brows knitted together, eyes widening a bit.

"Oh right, Haruna I found this in the barn along side you. Is it yours?" she asked, holding a small purple object in her hand. It was slightly round, with several antenna like protrusions from it. It also had a pink marking in the center, the crest that was once on the side of Kirishima's vessel. Haruna gave her a nod.

"Yes, that belongs to me." she said, holding her hand out.

"It's really weird. It seems like it's made of metal, but it's really light." Makie said, handing the core over to Haruna. She looked at it closely, an invisible pink glow appearing around the core.

" _Kirishima, are you alright?"_ she asked.

" _I am, the union core seems unscathed. What's going on Haruna?"_

" _I'm not sure. It seems we landed on this young girl's property when we flew off the ships. I was unconscious for awhile, so I'm not sure what happened."_

" _Hmm...alright, I'll leave reconnaissance to you."_ Kirishima said firmly.

" _Understood."_

Haruna felt someone poking at her eyebrow and she suddenly turned her head, causing Makie to fall off the chair she was standing in and land in a beanbag. She cleared her throat, looking at the girl.

"Is something wrong?"

"You just froze, I was worried."

"I didn't freeze..I was just lost in thought." she replied. The girl hummed to herself, leaning onto the bottom of the chair.

"Oh right, why were you unconscious on our property?" Makie asked curiously. Haruna looked away from her, focusing on the far wall.

"That's um..." she paused, the memory of her ship exploding once again filling her mind. She couldn't very well tell the little girl that, as it could compromise her position, so instead she remained silent.

"And you were practically naked." the girl continued, looking up at the girl who had remained silent for the last few seconds.

"I re-purposed the material that made up my clothing into crushable structure to absorb the shock of impact."

"Crutchable-what?" the girl asked, confusion written onto her face.

"Crushable structure." Haruna corrected. The girl huffed and looked away, hopping into the seat.

"Whatever. Say why don't you stay here for awhile? You've got something going on, if you want to walk around outside, just wearing a coat and underwear is in bad taste." she replied.

"Bad Taste?" the she asked softly. She placed Kirishima's core on top of the little girl's head, causing her to look up for a bit. She glanced over to the mirror and unzipped the coat, looking herself over.

" _Transmitting information of woman's apparel throughout history. If we wish to be active on land, we have to find you more suitable clothes."_ Kirishima said. Haruna subtly nodded.

" _I've come to the same conclusion."_

She turned back to Makie, who was kicking her feet while looking at the core in her hands, poking at it with her finger. She was still curious to see what material it was made out of. She thought it was made of metal, but it was too light for it to be. Haruna cleared her throat, catching her attention.

"In your opinion, what can I wear that would not be in bad taste?" she asked.

"Oh that's easy. I got plenty of clothes of all different sizes, there must be something here that fits you!" she said cheerfully. She placed Kirishima's core on the chair and hopped off, running toward her dresser. Haruna watched her curiously.

"Okasabe Makie, why are you helping me? I'm a stranger." she said firmly.

"Why am I...I dunno...but I think it's some sort of fate!" she said.

"Fate?" Haruna asked.

"Yeah, like we were destined to meet. Don't you know what fate means?" Makie asked, as she grabbed several sets of clothes from her dresser. Haruna blinked for a second, opening her status window up, instantly searching the word up.

"Fate, referencing a connection between people, a fateful encounter. Entree has been tagged, cataloged and saved."

"Haruna, you talk funny, almost like a dictionary. You sound almost like a machine" Makie said, finally appearing from behind the screen, just in time for her to miss the rings around Haruna's body.

"No, that's not true." she replied.

"Oh well, this is sort of fun isn't it?" the girl asked, walking toward the table. She set the clothes down, a smile on her face. She yanked the coat off Haruna's shoulders, and just as fast put a fancy blue dress on her, which was rather small on her. Haruna's face reddened a bit and she grabbed the edge of the skirt, tugging it a bit.

"Um...maybe this one. It looks really cute." she said. Makie hummed to herself, shaking her head. She rapidly took it off, grabbing a plain white tee shirt instead. She handed Haruna a pair of blue shorts which she hastily put on, the blush on her face only getting darker.

"Hmm...not this one. It seems a little...tight on you...is that the right word?" the little girl asked.

"Could I..have my coat back?" Haruna asked quietly, the nervousness from before washing over her entire body.

"Nope, not yet. Here, try this one on next!"

Kirishima could only watch as Haruna was shoved into different dressed, each one worse than the last. She tried not to laugh as that would cause her core to shake a bit. She was having a bit of trouble though, especially with Haruna's deepening blush. It was rather cute to see her sister being doted on so much.

"I can't ignore this one either." Makie said, forcing the final outfit onto Haruna's frame.

Kirishima had to admit, this last one fit really well with Haruna's overall look. It was a nice yellow dress, with black colored sleeves that had a poofed look to them, and frilled white edges. The edges around the bust were also white in color. The dress extended downward, toward her knees. It had a pleated look, and a white line near the border. Along with the black stockings she was already wearing, she had added some black heels to the outfit, which had a white flower on the top.

Haruna fell to her knees, clearly having enough of the little girl's antics. She started crawling toward her coat, her hand reaching for it. She could already picture herself being wrapped around it's warmth.

"We're not done yet, we need to fix your hair!" Makie cried, grabbing her by the ankles.

"Please...spare me!" Haruna moaned, reaching for her coat, only to be yanked further away.

"Oh, I like this one. You look so cute with straight hair." Makie cried, placing a black ribbon in Haruna's hair. She looked at herself in the mirror, the blush on her face ever present. She was about to stand up when Makie placed her hands on her shoulders.

"I'm not done, let's try a drill style next!" she cried.

Haruna honestly felt like she wanted to die. Here she was, a powerful Fast Battleship of the Fleet of Fog, known world wide for her destructive power. Her ship alone could handle an entire fleet of human vessels. She had sunk many of them in the past and was feared among the humans. Yet here she was, being man handled by a little girl with a hair brush.

"Haruharu, you need to be more stylish. I know, we can go out tomorrow, I'll ask to see if we can go shopping!" Makie said, holding Haruna's hand tightly. The girl honestly looked like she had just taken a spoonful of the worst medicine known to man. She could only nod as the girl raved on about all the shopping they were gonna do, at least until a firm knock caught her attention.

"Yes, come in!" the girl said, glancing back toward the door. It slowly opened, and one of the maids walked in, a small smile on her face.

"It's time for your check up miss."

"Alright, take your time picking your clothes out Haruharu, I'm sure you'll make the right choice!" the girl said happily, leaving the room alongside the maid. Haruna waited quietly for a few seconds, slowly pulling her coat off the bed. She slipped her arms through the sleeves, a content look on her face.

"Shazam!"

Kirishima finally lost it, breaking into laughter, her core vibrating on the wooden table.

"She likes you "Haruharu". She really likes you." she said, ignoring the glare Haruna was giving her. She cleared her throat, holding back her laughter.

"Hey Haruna, would you mind giving me some nanomaterial? I'm sort of helpless right now." she said. Haruna nodded, picking her core up from the table, she looked around for something to use as a disguise for her sister, a small smirk tugging at her lips. She grabbed the teddy bear that had been on the table and opened the back, placing her core inside it. With a little bit of her processing power and her nanomaterial, Kirishima finally had a physical body.

"There you are, that should be sufficient, yes?" Haruna asked. Kirishima struggled to move a bit, slowly getting the hang of being in a bear.

"I...believe so. Couldn't you have given me a little more?"

"I cannot. If Makie saw another person with me, she would ask questions, besides this is all the nanomaterial I can spare at the moment." she said. Kirishima sighed, shaking her head.

"I suppose it will do for now. Should we start searching this place?" she asked, earning a quiet nod from Haruna. The two of them made their way toward the door, with Haruna slowly opening it, a loud creak filling the empty hall. Kirishima looked around for a few seconds before walking out into the hall, stumbling around a bit.

"This is going to take me awhile." she muttered quietly. Haruna stopped in the center of the hallway, looking straight forward. Her eyes looked around for a second as her scanner checked all of the rooms.

"All of these rooms are free of human occupancy." she said.

"Not just here. There are very little life forms within this large house. I wonder why that is." Kirishima muttered quietly. She heard footsteps behind her and quickly dropped to the ground.

"Ma'am. Dinner has been prepared, the young miss is waiting for you, if you'd please follow me." the maid said, turning around. Haruna turned to follow her.

" _Oi, take me with you."_ Kirishima cried out. Haruna chuckled quietly and knelt down to pick the teddy bear up, wrapping her arms around it. She turned back to the maid who had been patiently waiting.

Haruna remained quiet as she followed the maid around the house. She continued scanning every room, just to make sure they were truly alone. They finally made it into the dining room, the maid held the door for her to enter. Makie gave her a smile, noticing the teddy bear in her hands.

"Why do you have him with you? Oh, do you like him?" she asked.

"That's not...necessarily wrong." Haruna replied, glad that a reason had presented itself. Makie grinned.

"I know...let's all eat together!" she said, jumping from her seat across the table. She took third seat from Haruna, with the teddy bear being to her right. It wasn't long before the other two maids placed their dinner in front of them. Haruna gave the woman a nod, looking back at Makie.

"Are there no other humans here?" she asked.

"No one besides the maids. I live a lone here, I never met my mom, and my daddy died a few years ago." Makie replied, the smile on her face betrayed her emotions. It was clear to Haruna that she was still mourning the loss of her father. She felt a twinge in her core, not exactly knowing what it was.

"It doesn't matter, I have you here now. I had them make lots so eat all that you like!" she said cheerfully. Haruna looked at the plate in front of her, not really knowing what kind of food it was. A quick scan revealed it was a flame broiled steak, with a side of steamed vegetables, carrots in particular. She grabbed the for and stabbed one of the carrots, looking at it oddly. She glanced back at Makie, hearing a light tapping on her plate. She noticed a small pink box in front of her, and she was pulling several things from inside it. Upon further inspection, she realized they were pills.

"What are those?" she asked.

"This is my medicine. It would be really bad if I didn't take any of these, so I lay them out on a plate so I don't forget." she replied. Haruna looked away from the pills, remembering what had happened a few minutes prior, when the maid had mentioned a check up. Now she understood why she needed one in the first place.

"Haruharu, do you hate carrots?"

"Um...no." she replied, not really knowing how to answer.

"That's not good, you have to eat your carrots so you grow up big and strong. Right Youtarou?" she asked, looking back at the teddy bear next to her, holding a carrot in front of its mouth.

" _So this one is named Youtarou."_ Kirishima said, inwardly smirking. She turned her head, taking the carrot Makie had offered her. She took an inward deep breath, it was then that Kirishima knew, she had fucked up.

" _Kirishima, stuffed animals don't eat food."_ Haruna said, eyes wide in shock at what her sister had done.

" _I am aware of that. Shit, I wasn't expecting to blow my cover this soon."_

Letting go of the fork, Kirishima grabbed the table in front of her, forcing herself onto her stubby feet. She turned to Makie, paw raised into the air.

" _I have to do this. Forgive us Makie!"_ she cried jumping at the girl. Haruna stood up, aiming to grab the teddy bear, but Makie beat her to the punch, hugging it tightly.

"Wow! Wow, wow wow! You can actually move? Did you make this Haruharu? Are you a robot expert working secret jobs like me?" she asked, looking at the blonde who was still poised to attack. She lowered her arm, clearing her throat.

"Oh um...yeah." she replied.

"I knew it! Still, this is awesome. I can't believe you made this."

"If you like him, I'll give him to you." Haruna said, earning a shocked look from Kirishima.

"Really? This is so cool." Makie cried.

" _Um, excuse me Haruna..."_ Kirishima said, reaching for her sister, only to be pulled back by the little girl, who proceeded to hug her tightly.

"You hear that Youtarou? Now that you can finally move around and walk, you are free!" she cried.

" _Congratulations Youtarou!"_ Haruna said cheerfully, placing a carrot into her mouth.

" _Shut up, Haruharu!"_

 _xxx_

"Are you alright Jonas? You've been quiet all day today...you've barely said a word to anyone." Miku said, standing next to her captain. He had spent most of the day on Maya's hull, just glancing out toward the ocean. He was sitting on the railing near the starboard bow, just looking at the calm waves. The hole in the barrier was still visible, but a work crew had already been dispatched. It would take them two months to fix the hole, but they would also take the chance to build an even stronger wall than before, and to reinforce the rest of the structure.

"I'm fine Miku, just thinking things over. We've got a long journey ahead of us, we have to make sure the 401 is protected from enemy ships, we also have to ensure that Vibration Warhead makes it back to the states in one piece. It's just...a little nerve wracking." he said.

"I understand what you mean. That confidence you had on Shimakaze was because you had grown used to everything, but now we have to travel on Theta's hull until we can go back home." she said, standing next to him. The soft breeze blew her hair back a bit, and she shivered from the cold. He gave her a nod.

"We're thousands of miles away. Thousands of miles of open ocean, where things can go wrong. We've avoided most of the vessels we've run into, but now that we've taken out two fast battleships, it won't be long before Kongou comes after us, especially because we killed her sisters. We also have Maya to deal with, it's become such a hassle." he said, taking a deep breath. She placed a hand on his shoulder, a frown on her face.

"Gunzou...he told me about what had happened. He felt the need to inform me as I am your First Mate and second in command. Why didn't you tell me about the union core?" she asked curiously.

"I didn't know how to explain it. When Hyuuga scanned me, Serina was with me, apparently Shiki and Isuzu knew about it from before but felt the need to keep it under wraps until the time was right. I agree with them...I mean, how can I tell my crew that I've been experimented on?" he asked.

"Well, you could tell us out right."

Jonas stiffened a bit and turned around, seeing Taco, Nick and Chloe, along with Serina, Shiki and Theta. All of them were standing beside the piano on Maya's hull, looking directly at their captain. Miku straightened up, prepared to talk for him, only for him to shake his head.

"I felt like the time was right...sorry captain." Shiki said, looking at the ground.

"Don't be...I'm glad you did. What she said is the utmost truth, inside my body, in the center of my chest, is a Union core belonging to the Fleet of Fog. It's call sign is that of the USS Iowa, an Iowa Class Battleship. Apparently it was a vessel thought to have struck a reef near one of the islands in the Hawaiian archipelago. I'm not exactly sure how they did it, but the United States Army were able to purge the mental model that previously owned the core, the personality at least. That's when they started designing cores similar to it, and testing them to see if they could be implanted into humans, so that we could have the same abilities as the Fog. 300 children between the ages of 6 and 16 were selected and of those 300, only one survived. This is also the reason why we were wanted felons in the eyes of the Government. The President doesn't know a thing about this, so it's still under wraps. All of the information I know is things that have been extracted from my data base, thanks to Tohka and Hyuuga who have been working closely." he said.

"Man...this shit is crazy...the thought of those people, doing this to kids? It's insane." Nick said.

"It's reality. You must realize that after awhile, people get desperate. Desperate enough to do vile things to our fellow humans. Hearing this, it makes me sick, it makes me detest those bastards. It also frightens me a lot, I grew up on those islands, who's to say they would have chosen me?" Chloe said, a scared look on her face.

"Same here...it could have been anyone of us...seems like Jonas got the short end of the stick." Nick said.

"Not really, because Hyuuga confirmed something an hour ago, thanks to Shiki. It seems the USS Iowa is being kept in Pearl Harbor's underground dry dock. Supposedly, when my core activated I was supposed to have a crew aboard me, but that didn't happen because I made contact with the Fog. It seems all of my time with Shiki and the others has awoken some of my processing power. Currently my core sits at 10% processing power. If Hyuuga were to release the other 90% and fully turn on the core, then I could take over my ship body." he said.

"We would have another battleship in the fleet. Not just that, an Iowa Class battleship at that." Nick said.

"But are you willing to trade your humanity away for that? Think about it, you are only half mental model now, if you fully access that core..wouldn't you become a full mental model?" Chloe asked curiously.

"I don't think so. Union Cores are designed to control a ship body, it's like a quantum super computer, in fact it actually is. Just because the core is active doesn't mean Jonas is a mental model. He's 100% human, just that his heart has been removed. His body runs on the Union core and it's processing power, so if he activated it, he wouldn't loose his humanity, in fact, he would become something else, superhuman, he wouldn't need to eat or sleep and he wouldn't age either, because of the processor in his body." Theta said, looking over some of the information Hyuuga had assembled.

"He would be the perfect human, someone who the government can use against the Fog. Jesus Christ, that was their plan all along wasn't it?" Taco asked.

"I don't know, but when we get to Hawaii, I'll have my answers." he said firmly.

"Are you ready Jonas? Hyuuga said she would increase your processing power to 25%. That will be enough to access your specifications, take over another vessel and activate your Klein field. However it will also be rather taxing...you might pass out." Shiki said.

"I'm ready..let's head to the bridge just in case." he said.

"Understood."

"Everyone...thanks for understanding, until we leave Yokosuka, please do what ever you want. Enjoy yourselves while we have the chance, we may not experience this luxury for much longer." he said.

"Aye sir, you heard him guys. Let's hit the town, I want to try some Takoyaki before we leave!" Miku said excitedly.

"Jeez, you really want to make those balloons bigger by eating all that fat?" Serina asked firmly.

"Says you, you could actually use some fat on you so those thumb tacks can grow bigger."

"What did you just say you fucking bitch?" Serina snapped, racing after the purple haired girl. Chloe sighed, shaking her head.  
"Come on, let's keep an eye on the children so they don't get hurt." she said.

 _Xxx_

Having finished dinner, Haruna was quickly taken back to Makie's bedroom. After playing for a bit, she got to experience another horrible thing. She was dragged into a bathroom and had her clothes taken off, including her beloved coat. She struggled for several minutes, trying to get it back on, but Makie wouldn't let her have it. Now she was kneeling on a raised plat form, her hair up in buns, covered with two cloth caps. She was soaking wet, her arms and legs being covered with white soapy suds.

"Stop struggling Haruharu, you are making this harder on me!" Makie cried as she grabbed a sponge from beside her. She lathered it up with soap and started scrubbing Haruna's back. The warm squishy feeling of the soap on her skin was something new. She noticed Kirishima was in the bathtub, soaking in the warm water with a white towel on her head.

"Here in Japan, friends wash each others backs. But if you keep struggling it makes it harder on me." the girl continued.

"Friend, a person whom one shares close contact with. The entree has been tagged, cataloged and saved." she said softly. She moaned loudly, feeling the warm sponge on the crook of her neck. It was a tingly feeling she hadn't experienced yet. Her emulator values were jumping all over the place, making her more confused than before. Thankfully, Makie finished soaping the both of them up and it wasn't long before she was dragged into the bath tub. The warm water felt vastly different than what she had felt before.

Even out on the ocean, she could feel the salty spray on her face. On warmer days, the water was a nice temperature. Other times it was cold due to how north she was sailing. This time though, she wasn't sailing the seas, she was in a bathtub with a little girl, enjoying the feeling of the warm water on her skin. She felt her muscles relax a bit, her nervousness washing away, almost like it wasn't there in the first place. She noticed Kirishima not far from the tub. She had been laying on the ground, letting her insides dry out after having absorbed so much water.

"Splash! A white whale has surfaced! It won't be long until he dives again!" the little girl cried, playing around with her wash cloth. Haruna looked at her, an unreadable look on her face. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. It was unlike her to have trouble speaking. She narrowed her eyes a bit, finally settling on something.

"Makie...you're free."

"Hmm...I am? I never really thought about that stuff." she said. She frowned and continued bobbing her hands in the water, remaining quiet after that. The frown on Haruna's face deepened, knowing she had been the cause of Makie's silence. She glanced at the girl, seeing a black QR bar code near her collar bone. She wanted to know what it was for, but she chose not to say anything.

It wasn't long before they finished their bath. Haruna had placed her hair back into it's usual style, accepting the light green nightgown the maid had given her. Kirishima had also been fully dried off, and she couldn't help but sniff her hands, the scent of strawberries lingering long after her bath was finished. The girl urged the two to get into the bed, turning off the light from the bed side lamp.

"Good night Youtarou." Makie cried happily. Kirishima rose her hand up, giving her a small salute before settling into the bed. Makie turned to Haruna, giving her a bright smile.

"Goodnight Haruharu."

"Goodnight Makie." Haruna replied softly. The girl closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around Haruna's body. The blonde didn't know what to do, instead she wrapped her arm around the girl, who snuggled tightly against her body.

"You're so warm Haruharu." she said softly.

A few minutes passed and her breathing became even, finally having fallen asleep. Haruna just lay there, looking at the ceiling in silence, not really knowing what to do. Sleep would not come as easily as she thought it would. She finally decided on going for a walk. The maid's were most likely asleep, so they wouldn't mind. She slowly got out of bed, making sure not to wake Makie. She pulled the blanket over the sleeping girl, making sure she was tucked in.

" _Haruna, maybe we should report to Kongou. Surely she wants to know if we're alright."_

Haruna just looked at her sister, not really disagreeing with her.

She blinked a few times, finding herself in the familiar pavilion. Kongou was sitting in front of her, legs crossed and tea cup in hand. Haruna bowed slightly before sitting across from her. Kirishima was sitting down on the table, still in her bear form. Kongou looked at her sister, a single brow raised.

"Have you taken a liking to that form?" she asked.

"I-It's only temporary! More importantly, we should apologize. We weren't expecting to be defeated by 401."

"I had been monitoring the both of you. I'm glad you survived, even as a core. First, the both of you should head to Sagami Bay, I have Hiei on standby, it seems Maya is once again shirking her duties." Kongou said, placing her cup down, ignoring the pained look on Kirishima's face.

"Maya has been captured by humans, she was part of our attack. However it seems like her hull was taken over, I'm sure her reluctance as been of some use." Kirishima said. Kongou adopted a frown on her face, though it was only to hide her anger.

"I see." she said simply.

"Anyway, we can't head to Sagami Bay just yet. We found some interesting information, I'll share it to our joined network." she said, standing up on the table. Her rings appeared before her as she uploaded the new data. Kongou looked it over, her lips pursed in curiosity.

"The Vibration warhead? The new weapon the humans made?" she asked.

"Indeed, we are currently in the dwelling of one of the developers, Okasabe Toujuurou. Okasabe is deceased. I don't want this to be a mean for us to save face but.." Kirishima left the sentence hanging, watching as Kongou was staring at them, judging their every breath, taking in every single movement. Though this was mostly toward Haruna who had remained eerily silent. She turned to Kirishima, giving her a nod.

"Fine, handle it. I shall tell Hiei to remain on standby."

"Then we will begin the operation!" Kirishima said, hopping off the table. She walked to the other end of the pavilion, looking back at her sister.

"Let's go Haruna."

The blonde stood up, her emotionless look still present. She brushed past Kongou who set down her cup of tea.

"Humans change their deposition due to emotion. But we are the Fog, we are merely living a temporary persona." she said. Haruna stopped for a second, eyes narrowed in thought. It wasn't long before Kongou was once again alone.

"Captured huh? I knew sending her out was a mistake." She muttered dryly to herself.

Finding herself back in Makie's bedroom, Haruna grabbed her coat and placed it over herself. She knew Kirishima just wanted something to use so that they wouldn't get reprimanded. The Vibration warhead had been quick thinking on her part. They left the bedroom and stepped into the hall, looking around.

"It seems we're alone. There seems to be something in the basement taking up a lot of energy. That's where it might be, let's go retrieve the data." Kirishima said firmly. Haruna took a step forward, seeing all of the hallway lights come on. At the end of the hall stood one of the maids, a warm smile on her face.

"I've been waiting for you miss. This way please."

The two mental models shared a look before walking down the hall, following the young woman. The walked for what seemed like ages, finally stopping before a wall. She pressed on a picture, which slowly rose to reveal a hidden panel. She pressed the glowing button on it and the wall opened up, revealing an elevator. Haruna wordlessly stepped into it.

" _Oi, Haruna."_ Kirishima cried, trying to stop her sister. She sighed and followed suit, knowing it was much better than to wait for her to return. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, wondering just where the elevator was taking them. Finally, it reached the bottom floor, when it opened up, revealing a long dark hallway. They walked down it for several minutes, unsure of what it would lead to. Finally they reached a door, which opened into a large room. They stepped inside the large room, which was almost as large as Makie's room above them. Haruna looked around, seeing all of the screens and medical equipment. She saw a bed in the center of the room and instantly knew who was laying on it. She stepped up to it, looking at the man before her.

"Thank you for coming." the man said, though the voice sounded entirely synthetic. Haruna just gave him a nod.

"You are..."

"Okasabe Toujuurou. The master of the house." the man said, glancing at the two, a tired expression on his face. He looked like he had been in that bed for years. There were several different wires hooked up to his body, all serving different functions. Haruna glanced around for a second, taking it all in.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead? That's what human records say anyway. Whatever, it suits us better if you are alive...so why don't you hand over all of the data on the Vibration Warhead?" Kirishima said firmly.

"My apologies, but I wasn't the one who created that device." he said.

"What do you mean?" Kirishima asked, greatly confused.

"So, it was Makie." Haruna said, earning a curious look from Kirishima. The man chuckled.

"So you noticed. Makie's abilities far exceed my own, because she's..." he paused glancing at the screen to his right. A file opened up, showing them detailed information on Makie. Haruna looked it over, eyes widening a bit at the information.

"She's not human." the man finished. Kirishima gasped, not believing what the man was saying, even if the proof was right before her eyes. Haruna said nothing, wanting the man to explain himself.

"I was once in charge of developing new weapons against the Fog. It was a tiring process, one that always ended in failure. I never got over it, it was then that I realized all of my limitations. As a human being, there was only so much I could do..so..if I were to create someone with super human ability, then we might have a chance.

The Design Child Initiative created 109 lives. Of those lives, only seven made it past the first year, and of those seven only one lived past three years." the man said.

"That was Makie wasn't it?" Haruna asked, earning a nod from him.

"Yes...she was an exceptionally bright child. She exceeded all of our expectations...but the government was indifferent. No, rather they were afraid of her abilities, just as they feared the Fog. So they ushered us into this mansion. You told her she was free, but due to her abilities, she can't have a normal childhood, but that didn't matter to me...I came to see her as my daughter, my love for her blossomed. I wanted her to live a good life, so that she could be strong and have whatever she wanted.

However, one day the government gave me an order...they wanted me to create another child to serve as Makie's backup. They looked at her as some computer that needed to be replaced when it was outdated. I couldn't handle it, the anger that coursed through me...it was unreal..so I faked my death, so that Makie could remain unique...with my death, went the information needed to make another design child.

The government had no choice but to look after her. They still need her to fine tune the Vibration Warhead, which is why she's still protected." the man said.

"I don't understand...wouldn't it complicate things if they ever found out your ruse?" Kirishima asked, crossing her arms. The man looked at her, a frown on his face.

"You could call it, Lingering Attachment." he said.

"Lingering Attachment, a phrase indicating regret, the inability to let something go. The entree has been tagged, cataloged and saved." Haruna muttered, adding the phrase to her ever growing collection.

"I wanted to watch over her as she grew up, to see her smile." he said. Kirishima sighed, shaking her head.  
"Humans really are selfish aren't they?" she asked.

"Indeed, we are. As you can see, I don't have much longer to live...which is why I must ask a favor." he said. Haruna stood by his bedside, looking directly at him.

"What is the favor?" she asked. He gave her a smile, taking a deep breath.

"Please, watch over Makie...become her friend."

"Heh, you really _are_ selfish. Asking us to become friends with her." Kirishima snapped, not believing what the man had just asked.

"You are aware that we are mental models of the Fleet of Fog, correct?"

"She laughs so much when you are together. I think that is enough, yes?" he asked. Haruna remained silent, not really knowing how to answer the man. She looked at Kirishima who just gave her a shrug.

"Please." the man said weakly. Haruna gave him a nod.

"We will take care of her. We will be her friends." she said firmly. Without another word, she started out of the room. Kirishima looked between her sister and the man, and ran off, following the silent Haruna as she made her way out of the room. It was late at night now, the moon had already risen high into the sky, it's bright light washing over the dark land scape. Haruna made it back to Makie's room, watching as she slept peacefully. She sat down beside the girl, softly brushing her hair from her face. She seemed to be having a nightmare, but as soon as she felt Haruna's presence, she calmed down, settling into a more comfortable sleep.

"Makie...my friend." Haruna whispered. She jolted a bit, glancing out the window. Her sonar picked up the sound of incoming vehicles, she counted at least eight of them. Kirishima seemed to have sensed them as well. She glanced outside the window, seeing one of the lamps blinking on and off for a second before it finally shut off.

"Haruna...this is bad...there are humans, several of them in organized squads." Kirishima said.

"The Government...they must be here for Makie." she said.

"She isn't our responsibility Haruna..we have a mission!"

"I'm sorry Kirishima...but I can't...I have to protect her...please...keep an eye on her while I handle our _guests_." she said firmly, standing up from the bed. Haruna was pissed off, pissed off at Toujuurou for being so selfish, pissed off at 401 for having sunk her ship and put her in this situation, and most of all, pissed off that the army was going to kill her friend. She wasn't going to let that happen, not on her watch.


	12. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello everyone. I would like to welcome you all to chapter 10 of Arpeggio of Blue Steel. Last Chapter, we got to see what happened to Kirishima and Haruna after the battle against 401 and Maya. We also got to see a few other things going on outside of the mansion. This chapter will serve as the conclusion to this part of the story. It's gonna be a long one so I hope you guys are ready. I don't know when I'll post chapter Eleven as my internet got shut off. I'm actually posting this from my Aunt's house, she was nice enough to let me use her wi-fi while I was staying over for the day. So, for now I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and hopefully the wait isn't long...**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 10

 _[Root Access established:]_

 _/:Downloading Primary and Secondary Files:_

 _/:Authenticating Identification: USS Iowa_

 _/:Connection to ship body: Stable_

 _/:Connection to the Transit Comm System: Stable_

 _/:Specifications: Online_

 _/:Union Core Operating at 25% Power_

 _/:Mental Model Established: Start Up Sequence Commence._

Jonas blinked a few times as he woke up, the foreign voice finally leaving the recesses of his mind. He wasn't aware of who's voice it had been, but to him it sounded familiar. He looked around the room lazily, finding himself sitting on a leather chair in Maya's lounge. He blinked a few times, his eyes focusing on Shiki, Isuzu and Theta who had been watching him closely for the better part of an hour. His body felt a bit stiff, but he was other wise fine. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"How long has it been?" he asked, a yawn escaping his lips.

"About an hour. Hyuuga established command with your core and was able to allow access. I finished establishing the connection to the joint tactical network, so you'll be able to enter the transit comm system with us if we ever get separated. You also gained control of your vessel, though currently with your processing power it will be impossible to have it come to us." Theta said. He nodded and stood up, his head felt lighter for some reason. He shook off the new feeling, opening and closing his hands.

"I don't...fell much different." he said.

"The extra processing power is going to be a boon, I'm sure. Now would you pull up your specifications for us? We must make sure you're hull has been connected with the core." Theta said. He nodded, closing his eyes. He frowned a bit, standing still for a second, only for nothing to happen.

"Um...mind filling me in on how exactly I should do that?" he asked. Shiki giggled, shaking her head.

"It's easy...you've used a computer right? Imagine yourself opening a file or web browser, it's as simple as that." she said, a grin on her face. She was definitely enjoying the look her captain had adopted on his face. He sighed and focused on what Shiki had told him, indeed he found himself seeing various files in his minds eye. He selected the specifications file and opened it up, causing three bright white rings too appear around his body, which were similar to the ones displayed by the Fog mental models. He stared at them, completely fascinated by them. He saw several tiny words written in them, constantly scrolling up, he saw various numbers and algorithms he didn't even understand.

"Hmm...it's rare to see someone with the color white, we've only seen on Fog ship with this color before." Isuzu said firmly, already dreading the name.

"Oh trust me, I'm really familiar with who you are talking about...anyway, what does it say?" he asked, glancing at Theta who was staring at several windows before her. She hummed to herself, glancing at all of the information.

"Well, it seems your armament is on full lockdown, you'll need Hyuuga's approval before you can access that, though at this point it wouldn't even be useful. According to this, you need a resupply of thanatonium warheads but are fully stocked on regular warheads and missiles each totally 128. Open up your armament panel and see for yourself." she said. He nodded, focusing on his armament, another window opened before him, making him go wide eyed.

 _[USS Iowa Armament Status]_

 _6 x Long Nine Photon Cannons_

 _9 × 16-inch (406mm)/50cal. Mark 7 guns_

 _20 × 5-inch (127mm)/38cal. Mark 12 guns_

 _80 × 40mm/56cal. Bofors_

 _49 × 20mm/70cal. Oerlikon_

 _32 × BGM-109 Tomahawk_

 _16 × RGM-84 Harpoon_

 _4 × 20mm (.78inch).Phalanx CIWS_

 _15 x Photon Cannons_

 _74 x Missile tubes  
_

 _24 x Torpedo Tubes_

 _3 x SC Seahawk Float Planes_

"This is impressive...is this seriously my armament?" he asked curiously, earning a nod from Theta.

"While most of the Fleet of Fog vessels carry various degrees of armament, it seems the American Fleet has slightly stronger weapons, including different ammunition, which explains the Tomahawks and the Harpoons. It also seems like your ship sacrificed it's super gravity cannon for more firepower. Once we gain access to your hull we can fine tune it however you want." Theta said.

"Awesome...I can't wait...as long as I can use all of this to benefit humanity, I don't care what I have to do...hmm...what's this glowing box?" he asked, pointing to something on his window, which was blinking slowly. The three mental models focused on it, eyes widening a bit.

"Flagship Equipment...no wonder you don't have a Super Gravity Cannon, Iowa was packing heat!" Shiki said, completely impressed.

"Um...is Flagship Equipment good or bad?" he asked curiously.

"Well, for the enemies, it's bad, but for us it's good. It might be a little too much for you to use, but eventually we'll teach you how to deploy it safely. For now, continue the process of learning to use all of your new abilities, I must report back to Tohka and Hyuuga." Theta said, politely excusing herself.

"Well...aren't you excited Jonas? You are finally like us, we can understand each other better than ever now!" Shiki exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her captain, causing his rings to disappear. He stood there awkwardly, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Oh uh...yeah, I'm happy Shiki...now we have another thing in common, other than our love for ice cream that is." he said with a smirk. Shiki let go of her captain and turned to Isuzu, who had remained silent for most of the time.

"Something wrong Sue? You seem quiet."

"No it's um...I'd rather not alarm anyone but...I sense a lot of movement nearby...If I we're to wager what kind, I would say military." she said.

"The army? What could they possibly want?" Shiki asked curiously.

"Trust me, after the world was ruled by the Fog, the armies became useless, why would the government need the army when the Navy was more important? That doesn't mean they aren't active, if they are moving then something big is going on." he said. He looked out of his port side window, toward the large mansion on the hill. He didn't know why but he had been staring at it a lot for the last day. He narrowed his a bit when the bright lights coming from it blinked out of existence, throwing the property into darkness. Tapping into his sonar, a search screen opened up, showing him all of the information about the mansion on the hill. His eyes widened when he saw all of the military transport lining up outside the house.

"You're right Suzy, the army is mobilizing...I'm still getting the hang of this so I need help, do a search about who lives in that mansion." he said, pointing toward it. Both girls nodded, quickly conducting the search. Isuzu hummed to herself as she looked up all available information. She smiled brightly when she found something interesting.

"It seems that mansion is owned by the government. There's a little girl named Okasabe Makie that lives there with her three care takers. That little girl is also the one who created the Vibration Warhead. I saw her earlier today when they were loading it into Iona's hull." She said.

"What? Are you certain?" Jonas asked.

"I wouldn't lie...it seems the military is doing something up there...I don't know what though." she said. Jonas grit his teeth in anger, his fists tightening.

"All hands on deck, I want this ship ready to go in fifteen. Shiki I want you to tell me everything that's happening right now inside that mansion, Isuzu contact 401 and alert her of this, tell her that there's a little girl who's in danger and that she's the creator of the weapon their transporting. I'll talk to Theta and get the crew back into her ship." he said.

"Aye captain...what about Maya?" Shiki asked, glancing at the sleeping mental model on the other side of the room.

"Forget her for now, there's nothing she can do. Come on, we need to mobilize." he said. The two of them nodded and broke off to do their specified tasks. It was going to be another long night for Jonas.

Xxx

Okasabe Toujuurou could only watch as the army positioned themselves outside of his house. He knew there was nothing he could do...those mental models were the only hope he had of her leaving the house alive. With nothing left to do, he accessed several files on his computer, all the picture files of Makie. He wouldn't help but smile, seeing his daughter's smiling face, as she was running around, playing with her toys or building castles in the sand.

"Makie...you were created for the sole purpose of making a weapon, nothing more than a puppet to be used by other people...and yet I came to care for you as a daughter. Now you are trying to form a bond with those that aren't human, how ironic." he said to himself, glossing over her pictures. Several more appeared, all of them of his daughter and him, shortly before he faked his death.

"I don't know why but...I'm sure this bond of yours will have the power to change the world. Goodbye, Makie...my precious daughter." he said, his eyes drooping closed. It was then that Okasabe Toujuurou breathed his last, the final thing in his mind being the first time he held his precious daughter in his arms.

Outside of the mansion, several soldiers had already lined up near the front gates, having cut off all power supply to the house. One man broke the chain holding the gates closed and motioned for them to follow, gaining access to the front courtyard. Several more rappelled down onto the roof of the building via helicopter, all of them were armed to the teeth, knowing there was a mental model within the dwelling. The attach helicopter was on standby, it's guns trained on the mansion, ready to fire at the first sign of danger.

From within the house, Kirishima and Haruna were watching Makie as she was peacefully sleeping. Keeping a close eye on her. Haruna had remained mostly silent after what she had heard from Toujuurou. She had finally understood what her purpose was, and decided she would fight for a new cause. The final light post gave out, throwing the entire courtyard into darkness. A window opened up before Haruna's eyes, detecting all of the soldiers surrounding the house.

"It seems we're surrounded." she said softly.

"I detect heat, are they here for us?" Kirishima asked. Haruna shook her head, glancing back at the little girl still sleeping in her bed. She took a deep breath, glancing back at her friend.

"They're here for Makie."

"I see...they don't want us getting intel on the vibration warhead, so they have decided to eliminate its creator."

"I have arrived at the same conclusion. It seems they felt it was better to infiltrate the building, rather than firing at it. They want to make sure their target is truly taken out." Haruna said, slight anger in her voice. Kirishima noticed this and looked away from her, glancing back at the sleeping girl.

"Kirishima...is it alright if I leave Makie in your care?" she asked.

"Haruna...are you sure?" she asked.

"Indeed, It's my duty to give our _guests_ a warm welcome." she said, turning for the door. Kirishima watched silently as her sister walked toward the door, already prepared to fight.

Outside the room, the first squad of soldiers had finally made it. The leader scanned the hallway, giving the sign for the others to follow. He held his assault rifle tightly in his hands, ready to use it if necessary.

"We've arrived on the second floor." he said in his radio, making sure his commander knew his position.

" _Alright, you are free to engage."_

The man nodded and got into position, while one of the other men moved toward the door. It suddenly opened and they all stopped aiming their rifles directly into the room. From it emerged Haruna, an expressionless look on her face. She stood in the middle of the hall, looking at all of the soldiers.

"You must be the mental model of the Fast Battleship Haruna." one man said.

"That's correct." she replied.

"Surrender without resistance...we will guarantee your safety." the man said. Haruna turned to him, a piercing glare in her emerald eyes. That statement seemed to anger her. She balled her hands within her coat, trying to remain calm.

"Surrender without resistance you say?" she asked.

"Yes, our target is Okasabe Makie. We are here to dispose of her, if you stand down, we will ensure your safety."

That was the last straw for her. Bright glowing rings appeared around her body, illuminating the dark hallway with a bright yellow light. All of the men tensed up, holding their guns up at her, ready to fire.

"Wait...it is not our intent to fight you."

" _Intent?_ " she asked firmly, her teeth grit in anger.

"I am unhappy tonight...very unhappy. Allow me to teach you the meaning of intent." she said firmly turning to face the soldiers.

"Quickly, we have to fire!" the leader said, pulling the trigger of his rifle. In an instant the hallway was filled in a hail of gunfire, which filled he entire room with dark smoke and glowing bullets. All of the men stopped firing, only to see several small shields before Haruna's body, which had stopped the bullets entirely. The bullets dropped to the ground, the small plinking sound filling the hallway. She held a single tear grenade before her, which was still spinning rapidly.

"This is my _intent_." she said, turning the grenade back to the men.

"No, stop Haruharu!"

Her eyes widened, and she rapidly formed a shield before herself to absorb the explosion. She looked over her shoulder, seeing Makie standing before the door, hugging Kirishima tightly.

"Makie." she said quietly.

"Quickly, fire at the target!"

Haruna took the men out in a single blow, large glowing shields of energy flying in all directions. That seemed to have startled Makie, enough for her to back away from the blonde. She turned to fully face her, a frown on her face.

" _Sorry Haruna, I took my eyes off her for a second and..."_ Kirishima muttered, leaving her sentence hanging. She felt bad, for almost getting the little girl killed. Haruna shook her head as she turned to face Makie, looking directly at her.

"Makie...I can explain...I'm..."

"A mental model of the Fleet of Fog." the girl said, earning a gasp from the two. Haruna reached for the girl, only for her to back away from her. Instead she took off running, fighting back the tears as she ducked into the stairwell, leaving Haruna alone. Makie sat down at the foot of the stairs, hugging Kirishima tightly as she finally let her tears fall. Kirishima sighed, shaking her head.

" _She finally finds out that Haruna is a mental model and this is how she reacts...it's understandable. Humans can never befriend the Fog."_

" _Kirishima, I have a favor to ask of you...keep an eye on Makie for me. I'm going to distract them, use that time to get her out of the mansion through the front gates."_

" _Haruna, are you sure about this?"_ Kirishima asked.

" _I am...I have to do this..for her."_

" _Good luck, Haruna."_

The blonde blinked for a few seconds, lost in thought. She finally decided on an idea and used some of her nanomaterial to make a decoy of Makie, that looked exactly identical to the girl. It glowed for a second, before finally becoming still.

"Looks like this is the best I can do with the nanomaterial I have left. It'll have to do." she muttered to herself. She wrapped her arms around the little girl, preparing for the next phase of the plan.

Xxx

"So...the creator of the vibration warhead was not Okasabe Toujuurou, but rather his daughter Okasabe Makie, a design child. And now that she has made contact with the Fog, they want her eliminated." Kongou muttered to herself, glancing at the information she had received. She took a sip from her tea, glancing at the empty seat where Maya would have been sitting.

"Why keep this a secret from me? What is Haruna thinking?" she asked quietly to herself.

"She's not thinking at all, that is my guess at least." a firm voice said, almost startling Kongou.

Before her sat a beautiful black haired woman. She she had ivory colored skin, and a beautiful face, almost like that of a princess. She had bright cerulean blue eyes that seemed to match the deep blue of the sea. She had a small nose and bright pink lips, which seemed to glow a bit due to her make up. She was a rather tall woman, standing at nearly six feet, slightly taller than Kongou herself. She was wearing a beautiful white gown, which seemed to mimic the style of wedding dresses. It was large and poofy and reached down past her knees. It had several embroidered designs around the bust. She was wearing a pair of long white gloves, which held her insignia on the back. She was wearing a long pair of white boots, which had thin black lines running down the dies and the top. The heels were rather thin and colored a dark color. Kongou smirked, setting her tea cup down.

"To what do I owe this visit, Supreme Flagship Yamato?" she asked, glancing at the other woman across from her. Yamato poured herself a cup of tea, reaching for the sugar cubes.

"From you? I want nothing, I am here to inform you that a new player has entered the game. If you recall, the USS Iowa has been missing for some time, it seems _she_ has reappeared, or rather _he_ has been activated." she said, calmly stirring her tea. She took a sip from it, a content smile on her face.

"What do you mean he?" Kongou asked curiously. Yamato gave her subordinate a smile, setting her cup down.

"You should know, after all you and your fleet have been fighting him for awhile now." she said. Her eyes widened a bit.

"Jonas Rongil, the boy that took over Shimakaze...I knew there was something odd about him. From his origins to how he got to Hawaii..every thing makes sense." she said firmly.

"I'll let you in on a little secret Kongou, Chihaya Shouzou wasn't the first human aboard a Fleet of Fog vessel. Seven years ago, off the Bearing Straight, a little boy was struck with an artillery shell, compliments of a Nagara-Class light cruiser. The body of the boy somehow managed to land on Musashi's deck. Both of us didn't know what to do, so we did our best to heal him. Contrary to popular belief, I care not whether the humans live or die. He was such a fascinating specimen. We didn't know where he belonged, but we knew he had potential, so I had Musashi deliver him to the Island State of Hawaii, which had just recovered a Fleet of Fog Union Core from a wreck not far from Pearl Harbor. It was also I who gave them the information necessary to replicate the functions of a Fleet of Fog union core." she said.

"What...but that's...it makes no sense...why would you do that?" Kongou asked, quickly regaining her composure. Yamato smiled.

"I've got my reasons. It seems my younger sister has grown rather fond of him, and she made it her priority to visit him on a daily basis, however the experiment he had undergone ended up making him become unstable. The memories of his human life were purged from his brain when the two core processors were installed and connected in tandem with the union core. He has forgotten all about Musashi, and that seems to have angered her quite a bit. That was also what lead to the formation of the Scarlet Fleet." she said.

"This is all rather interesting to learn but...what is the meaning of sharing this with me?" Kongou asked, earning a smirk from Yamato.

"It seems the tides of war are starting to change. The Fog will enter a new phase, you have seen it yourself...Mental Models siding with the humans, others going rogue and doing as they wish...it is starting to become tiresome to keep track of them all, but as long as they don't interfere with me, I allow them to do as they wish. But that ends up complicating things for me in the long run. I will be sailing through your waters soon to make contact with the young man, it seems he is indebted to me and must repay me for saving his life. I require your fleet to be on standby before they reach the American Border Patrol." she said.

"Yamato...I know not what you are planning, but what I do know is that abnormalities must be eliminated. We must keep to the code at all times...I will allow you to enter our waters, but I am not scrambling my fleet, I have far more important business to handle." she said firmly.

"Hmm...and here I was hoping to strike a deal with you...alright, as long as my convoy has gained permission to enter your waters, it is alright. I-400 and I-402 will be making contact with him soon, I hope we can meet again in the real world, I hear Earl Grey tea is quite lovely on warm summer nights."

With that the Supreme Flagship disappeared, leaving Kongou alone with her thoughts.

Xxx

"The mental model has fled to the back courtyard with Okasabe Makie. We will intercept them there."

"Yes Sir!"

From the basement, Kirishima and Makie watched as several soldiers sped past them. They waited for a few seconds to make sure the coast was clear, before Makie grabbed the grate, pulling it with all her might. It was a bit heavy for her, but she was able to pull it off without an issue.

" _Man, why do I get stuck with the babysitting?"_ Kirishima thought to herself. She was being held tightly by Makie who was making her way toward the front courtyard of the house. Meanwhile in the back, Haruna was avoiding gunfire left and right, using her Klein field to her advantage. She had already taken out several soldiers with her shield. She looked around, seeing them reloading their weapons.

"They just don't let up." she muttered to herself, absorbing the decoy into her body. She broke into a sprint dodging another hail of fire. She jumped into the sky, forming a large glowing ball of energy above a group of soldiers.

"This is the end." she muttered, about to detonate it. Her eyes widened a bit, hearing Makie's voice.

" _No, Haruharu! Stop!"_

She let the ball of energy dissipate and instead focused on destroying their firearms. The men looked at their broken guns for mere seconds before glowing shields slammed into their bodies, knocking them out cold. Haruna stood up straight, looking at all of the remaining forces.

" _We were born as weapons. Countless lives have been lost due to my cannon fire, until now I felt no remorse...it seems I can't be your friend after all, Makie"_ she asked herself. This new foreign feeling, it was something she wasn't used to dealing with. It only served to confuse her more as she tried to distract them. She could only hope the girl was safe.

" _Haruna...oi Haruna, can you hear me?"_ Kirishima cried, hoping to get a hole of her sister.

" _Yes, I can hear you."_

" _Is something wrong with your comm link?"_ Kirishima asked, growing worried over her sister. She could almost see her shaking her head.

" _No, the comm is fine...more importantly, how is Makie doing?"_

" _She's doing alright. She hasn't said a single word since we last saw you though. It seems learning you were of the Fog was a great shock to her."_

" _I see."_

" _We are currently near the front entrance. We're waiting for the soldiers around us to move to the back."_ Kirishima said.

" _Understood, I'll use the decoy to keep them situated back here. When you get the chance, run for it, I will catch up."_ Haruna replied, blocking several grenades with her field. She caused them all to detonate, filling the area with smoke. She was growing a bit tired from using her field so much, but she couldn't stop now.

" _Hey, this is merely a suggestion but, why don't we call Hiei? Her firepower would be enough to obliterate these guys."_

" _Yes, I agree with you...Hiei's firepower would be enough to help us. It would destroy this unit in an instant...but we cannot."_

" _Why not?"_

" _Because Makie does not wish it."_ Haruna replied, severing the link. Kirishima shook her head, only hearing static.

" _Haruna, oi Haruna! She severed the link!"_

" _In any case, this girl hasn't budged at all...I'm worried she isn't going to move."_ she muttered to herself. She felt Makie move, tightening her grip around her stuffed body.

"Youtarou...do you think Haruharu is alright?" she asked, already knowing he couldn't reply. Kirishima moved a bit, giving her a slight nod.

"Those people...they want to get rid of me, as long as Haruharu stays away, she'll be safe...this is all I can do."

" _This kid...she sure is something else."_ Kirishima thought.

"A long time ago...I made a bomb. I didn't know what it was, or what it was supposed to do. But if it made my daddy smile, I would work hard on it. I made sure to design and build the vibration warhead...but when I was done, I was left all alone. And...you know that bomb was made to kill the Fog, to kill Haruharu and her friends...how can I look at her again, knowing that I was the one who made the bomb that could kill her?" she asked firmly, tears slipping down her cheeks. Kirishima choked up a bit, not knowing what to do.

"I...never deserved to be friends with Haruharu." she said, breaking into tears. She pressed her face into the stuffed animal, making sure to muffle her sobs so that she wouldn't be found. The ground started rumbling a bit, making Kirishima rather worried.

Haruna swallowed hard, keeping herself composed as she stared down at the JSDF's most powerful land based weapons, the "Rock Crabs". She wasn't expecting them to have this kind of firepower with them, but she knew not to take them lightly. If she was on her ship, she could easily wipe the floor with them, but now that she was alone, she was almost at her limit. She dug her feet into the ground, keeping a firm hold of the decoy underneath her coat.

"All units, take out the mental model and Okasabe Makie, fire!"

The units fired four missiles, which steadily sped toward Haruna. She quickly expanded her field, using her coat to block the artillery shells she was currently keeping suspended. She grit her teeth, feeling a bit dizzy.

"No...my processing power has slowed, can't maintain the decoy." she said...watching as the Makie decoy turned back into nanomaterial and slipped through her hands. She closed her hands tightly, detonating the charges she was keeping suspended.

"That isn't Okasabe Makie, all units retreat, search and find the real Okasabe Makie!" the soldiers shouted. All of the Rock Crabs started retreated, heading away from Haruna who was panting a bit, tired from all of the energy she was using.

"We have an urgent message from Platoon 3, the mental model in the back courtyard was not in fact carrying Okasabe Makie, it was a sophisticated decoy. All units move in and search the property!"

" _Crap, they found out already?"_ Kirishima thought angrily. Makie stood up, quickly trying to get away, but she ended up tripping. Her yelp attracted the attention of the nearby soldiers, who instantly started moving in.

"Okasabe Makie, hurry and get her!"

Kirishima quickly stood up, dashing forward with great speed. She jumped into the air, delivering a firm kick to one of the soldiers. She flipped through the air, nailing the second one in the back of the head. She landed on the ground, holding her hand out. She formed a shield just as the men were going to fire, only it was far smaller than she wanted it to be.

"What...why is it so small? This body isn't going to cut it!" she said firmly, jumping over the shrubs.

"Youtarou?" Makie cried, disbelief written on her face. Kirishima took out the two soldiers, turning around in time to see the men coming at them from the other side.

"Get down Makie!" she cried. The girl instantly dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the gunfire. She jumped over the little girl, taking out the last two men. Kirishima let out a breath, finally glad that had been taken care of.

"Youtarou...you can talk?" Makie asked. Kirishima cringed, turning to face the little girl.

"I'll explain later, for now we need to go."

"No...didn't you hear what they said? Haruharu is fighting in the back courtyard...we can't leave...we need to help her!" she cried.

"Are you stupid? It's dangerous back there, do you really think Haruna wants you to go back there?" she snapped angrily.

"But...I can't..." Makie said, a frown forming on her face.

Haruna held her hand up as she blocked the machine gun fire from one of the Rock Crabs. A bright ball of thanatonium energy formed above it, slamming it into the ground. She jumped into the air, forming two more above two separate units, causing them to explode.

" _I am the Fast Battleship of the Fleet of Fog, Haruna...my firepower is one of the best in the fleet. I can take these men out without breaking a sweat. Indeed, my only reason for keeping Makie alive is so I can learn about the Vibration Warhead...and yet."_ she thought to herself. She snapped her fingers, causing another Rock Crab to explode. Smoke and fire slowly trailed in all directions. One soldier watched in awe as the destroyed Rock Crab hovered above him. He crawled away from it, and it dropped to the ground a second later. He knew that could have easily killed him. Haruna sighed, closing her eyes.

" _Why can't I bring myself to kill any of them? What is this turmoil within me?"_

She was about to destroy another unit when she felt Kirishima's presence next to her. She looked to her left, eyes widening in shock.

"Haruharu!"

It was Makie, and she was running right at her. Her throat tightened up, and she felt her stomach churn, the new foreign feeling, Dread, entering her system. She saw the lasers of all of the soldiers aiming right at her. She broke into a sprint, reaching her arm to her.

"Makie." she cried. It all seemed to slow down as she tried reaching the little girl. She felt tears start rolling down her eyes, as she felt another emotion course through her.

" _No, I...I don't want to loose Makie!"_ she cried. The sounds of gunfire filled her ears as hundreds of bullets sailed toward the little girl. Expanding her field, Haruna reached the little girl just in time, using her coat to reinforce her Klein shield. She wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly against her body, the sounds of gunfire filling their ears.

"Makie...what are you doing here? I.."

"No! I didn't want to leave..I want to be with you!" she cried. Haruna sighed, a frown appearing on her face.

"I'm of the Fog." she said firmly.

"I don't care! Haruharu...I don't think you'll ever forgive me for making that bomb. But...you are my friend Haruharu...and I don't want to loose my friends!" she cried, hugging the girl tightly. Haruna felt her chest tightening, as tears slipped from her eyes. The gunfire and explosions grew in strength, as they kept assaulting her field. She grit her teeth, feeling the pain of the field as it was starting to crack.

"I can't dispel the energy absorbed by the field..I..can't hold on much longer." she muttered.

"Damn it...if only I had my physical body, I could make short work of these crabs!" Kirishima cried.

"I...I don't care who...but we need help! Please...just help us!" Haruna said, begging for anyone to hear her as she tightened her grip on Makie, in case her field went down. At least she could use herself as a shield if needbe.

And that's when she heard it, the loud turbines of a fighter jet, zooming towards them. Two simultaneous explosions filled her ears, a bright green light illuminating the entire courtyard for a fraction of a second. A loud boom echoed through the area as the plane broke the sound barrier. Haruna dispelled her klein field, glancing up at the person who had landed in front of her, eyes widened in shock.

"Hey Haruna...don't worry, I heard your call." he said, a smile on his face.

"Open fire!"

All of the soldiers aimed directly at the young man, sending a hail of bullets directly at him. He smirked quickly drawing his photon blade. With practiced skill and precision he started blocking the bullets, all of them bursting into small fizzing fireballs. He quickly zoomed forward, bright white rings appearing around his body. The men looked at him in awe, just before thick white shields slammed into them. He jumped into the air, drawing his pistol and taking aim.

"This is the end for you!" he cried, pulling the trigger. The bullet glowed a brilliant white, expanding into a fully sized missile that slammed into the remaining rock crab, blowing it to smithereens. He landed on the ground, wincing a bit.

"Shit, still not used to that." he muttered.

"Quickly, send more rock crabs, we must not let the targets escape!" a man shouted through an intercom. The young man rolled his eyes.

"Yo, mind showing this bastards what we truly are capable of?" he said, pressing the comm link on his headset.

" _Roger that Jonas, 401 is sending it's payload, over and out!"_ Shiki replied. Several bright blue warheads flew over the cliffside, taking out all of the military vehicles. The soldiers attempting to flee had no choice but to run. To Jonas's right, three Rock crabs exploded, having been taken care of by Iona. He smirked and turned back to Haruna, who was still looking at him in shock.

"J-Jonas Rongil...why are you here?" she asked. He shrugged, hooking his photon sword to his belt.

"I dunno...why are you here?" he asked, glancing at the little girl. She hugged herself closely to Haruna, unsure of what the man was going to do.

"I'm...protecting Makie...protecting a friend." she said firmly, but surely. He nodded and turned to Iona, giving her a nod.

"You heard her, she's protecting a friend...I'll let you handle this one, give them hell okay?" he said.

"Affirmative!" Iona said, splitting off from the group. Jonas knelt down before the little girl, pulling out a small square shaped device from his pocket.

"Hi there, you don't need to be afraid of me...my name is Jonas and I'm a friend of Haruna's...here I want you to wear this, it will keep you safe." he said, placing it on one of her overall straps. He pressed the center button and it glowed a bright green, covering her in a protective klein field.

"Is this true Haruharu...is he your friend?" Makie asked. Haruna looked at Jonas who only gave her a smile. She turned to Makie, giving her a nod.

"Yes...he's my...our friend now." she said.

"Retreat, all of the rock crabs have been destroyed, I repeat all forces retreat!" a panicked soldier cried, making Jonas smirk. He stood up, glancing at the old operation station that Iona had just destroyed. The girl was standing in the middle of it, a blazing inferno burning around her, making her look all the more scarier.

"And that's all she wrote! Looks like those fools will think twice before attacking defenseless little girls...well...I should correct myself, they should think twice before attacking a little girl and her friends." he said, giving Haruna and Makie a nod. Now that the battle was over, Haruna could breathe easy. She knelt down before the girl, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Makie...I'm sorry. I should have told you I was a mental model when we met. It would have made things a bit easier." she said.

"It's okay Haruharu...I understand why you didn't tell me." she said. She gave her a nod.

"Makie...I have a favor to ask...would you be my...no...would you be our friend?" she asked firmly.

"Wait...I'm included?" Kirishima asked, though this went by ignored. Makie hugged the girl tightly.

"Yes, Haruharu, Youtarou...we'll be friends forever!" she cried happily.

"Everything is clear up here guys, we're ready to proceed." Jonas said, glancing at his video screen. He was projecting his image directly to his friends.

" _Understood, we'll remain on standby and await your return."_ Miku replied, ending the connection.

"All life forms have left the premises...good job Jonas, for your first battle you did great."

"Thanks Iona, it went by smoothly because I had an awesome teacher...but now we need to hurry. It won't be long until the Navy starts attacking us, and I'm sure the US Government officials have revoked their earlier decision." he said. She nodded, turning back to Haruna.

"Come with us, we will get you to safety." she said. Haruna nodded and started walking forward, following Iona. Jonas knelt down and picked Makie up, who was holding onto Kirishima tightly.

"Um mister...why did you have those rings around you? They looked almost like Haruharu's." she asked. He looked at her, giving her a smile.

"That's because I'm also a mental model. Well, I'm a human being, but I have the core of a mental model inside me, so I can use it to my advantage." he said.

"Oi, are you telling the truth?"

"What? Who are you?" he asked, looking at the bear.

"Ha ha, you have made a grave mistake! I am the Fast Battleship Kirishima, you best watch your back human!" she snapped.

"I think what you want to say to me is "Thank You"." he said. Kirishima mumbled a swear under her breath. It had been far to eventful for her to deal with this.

Having finally set sailed away from Yokosuka, Jonas found himself aboard the 401, Theta was to his right, and Maya was to his left, both vessels acting as a convoy and serving to protect the submarine. Jonas was standing next to Gunzou, with Iona being on deck with Haruna, Kirishima and the little girl, Makie.

"401, Jonas Rongil, why did you come save me?" Haruna asked. Jonas chuckled, shaking his head.

"I thought I told you, I heard you call out for help. I don't know how I heard it, I haven't been in the transit comm system for that long. Isuzu was the one who heard the army making their move, I just hurried everyone up to get there in time." he said.

"Jonas is right, I too heard your call...so I went to help." Iona said. Haruna smiled, closing her eyes.  
"I see."

"401, you have my thanks, but we could have handled it ourselves."

"Who are you?" Iona asked curiously, looking closely at the teddy bear.

"Kirishima!" she snapped angrily. Haruna rolled her eyes and glanced up at the young man who had been silent the entire time.

"Chihaya Gunzou, correct? Where do you plan to go now?" she asked. Gunzou smiled and looked out to the horizon, as the sun was slowly climbing into the sky.

"To our stronghold." he said.

"As for me, I have to rid myself of a little thorn in my side. I'll be heading south east toward some abandoned islands to beach Maya's hull. She shouldn't be a threat to us, at least not for awhile." Jonas said. He held his arm out, forming a gangplank from his klein field. It seemed he was finally getting the hang of his new core. However as he started to walk toward it, he heard two simultaneous pings in his sonar. He opened his search system up, eyes widening a bit.

"Shit...we got company." he said.

"Who is it?" Gunzou asked, looking over his shoulder. Jonas glanced back at Iona, who had a firm look on her face. Whether she was curious or already knew who it was, he didn't know. He took a deep breath, looking directly at Gunzou.

"It's Iona's twin sisters, I-400 and I-402." he said.


	13. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey everyone and welcome to the newest chapter of Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Emerald Eagles. This chapter is completely original, and will revolve around Jonas and his meeting with 400 and 402. He will get to know Iona's twin sisters a bit more and try subtly to sway them to his side. He also starts developing a bit of a crush on 400. Why we're they sent to speak with him? We will get to find out.  
**

 **Also, as a little note...from the beginning of this story, I had a hard time deciding what the main pairing would be. At first I wanted it to be with Maya, since her spontaneous attitude would have been a bit of an interesting match with Jonas and his more calm demeanor, though he is a bit playful when he isn't out on the open ocean. While on land he's a bit more laid back then when he's on the helm. But as I developed the plot, I couldn't stop thinking about Iona's sisters and how their anime death was bullshit...so I decided to pair him up with 400. And yes he will be giving her and 402 a proper name later on in this story.**

 **I hope you like this new chapter, I worked really hard on it. However due to my computer updating, chapters 15-17 ended up getting deleted. I had written these to give myself a bit of wiggle room and have something to post every week, but I ended up getting screwed over, so as much as I hate to abandon this at this time, I'm going to have too. I will continue it eventually, but loosing three chapters at once was a heavy blow, and I only reread chapter 15, so I don't remember what I had written for 16 and 17. I hope you all understand. Chapters 12-14 will be posted soon, so I hope you like what I've written so far...and please let me know how I am doing.  
**

 **Without further adoo, heres the new chapter! Read and Review and all of those other fun things.**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 11

It hadn't been long since leaving Yokosuka, an hour at most. They could still see the port city not far from their current position. Jonas however wasn't expecting to see two surveillance submarines this early in the morning. The battle the previous night had worn him out, and he had been hoping to take a quick nap in his ship with the rest of his crew, but apparently fate had other plans for him. Having made full stop, the three Fleet of Fog Vessels looked directly at the two submarines that had blocked their path. They looked almost identical to Iona's vessel, only 400 was a light pink in color and 402 was a lime green color.

It wasn't long before the mental models of both vessels made their presence known. Two gangplanks formed from thin air, connecting both ships to 401's main deck. The two siblings slowly walked toward them, blank looks on their faces.

I-402 was the youngest of the three Sen-toku-class surveillance submarines. She looked almost identical to Iona in body shape and facial features. She was slightly taller than Iona, and had light green hair that fell down to her waist. She had two long strands framing her face and decorated with two light red ribbons. She had bright sea green eyes. Her outfit was rather questionable at best.

She was wearing a bright green poncho like out that covered her entire body. It reached down to just below her hips and was long enough to hide her underwear. The poncho, had ruffles around the neck, making two layers which were decorated with frilled cloth at the hem. She had a bright yellow ribbon tied around her neck. The poncho also had round white buttons on the front, which kept it closed and snug on her frame. On her feet she wore a pair of white shoes, with a bright yellow tongue. It had a round circle above the laces which was bright green in color, the laces being a dark black. The top of the shoe was a light green in color, matching the heel. She was also wearing a pair of white socks with green rings on them. Jonas was already familiar with this particular mental model, having met her during his first six months of being on Shimakaze's hull. However, he had yet to meet her older sister.

The I-400 was just like her sisters, a Sen-toku-class surveillance submarine. Her Mental model was just like the others, very similar. While her facial features were the same as Iona's and 402's, 400 had bright emerald green colored eyes. She had long magenta colored hair that reached down to her waist and was kept straight. She wore two small yellow caps on the sides of her head.

She was wearing something entirely different from her youngest sister. She was wearing a sleeveless quipao, which was a light magenta color. The area around the arms was a darker shade of pink which made it pop out a bit more. The area around the bust had a small opening, revealing a bit of her chest. It had small yellow broaches at the top keeping it closed. The edges of the shirt were a dark violet color. She was wearing a pair of matching pants which were a bit tight on her small frame. They reached to just below her knees, ending at the shins. She was wearing a pair of light yellow flats. Both sisters came to a stop once they had reached the deck. Jonas started sweating a bit, feeling rather nervous.

"Chihaya Gunzou, we've heard quite a lot about you and your exploits over the last two years. Our Supreme Flagship is very interested in you." 402 said, earning a nod from the man.

"I wasn't aware Iona's sisters had mental models. Welcome to the 401 ladies, is there something we can help you with?" Gunzou asked politely. He noticed Theta already locked her weapons on both submarines, and he was sure Shiki who was controlling Maya's hull was aiming her photon cannons at them as well. The green haired girl shook her head.

"We wish to speak with Jonas Rongil." 400 said, pointing right at him. He swallowed hard, looking around for a few seconds.

"Me? I didn't do anything." he said.

"You've done quite a lot, but we are not here to discuss your transgressions against the Fleet of Fog, nor are we here to engage you in battle. Currently we are outnumbered three to two, and while we posses dual cores, we cannot out speed a Light Cruiser and a Heavy Cruiser when it comes to fire power." 400 said firmly, lowering her arm. He sighed and vaulted over the railing, landing on the lower deck of the sub. He stood next to Iona, who was looking firmly at her sisters. It was as if they hadn't been together in a long time. It was probably the first time in years they were seeing each other. Haruna had pulled Makie behind her, not knowing what would happen now that Yamato's personal guards had been sent there. Jonas took a deep breath, calming himself down. He saw his crew watching him intently, knowing full well it wasn't their first encounter with 402. He shook his head, crossing his arms.

"So, what do the Supreme Flagship's personal guards want with me? Does she want me to go on another suicide mission to the deep south, or to deliver some random shit to South Africa?" he asked curiously.

"Haruharu, what's a Supreme Flagship?" Makie asked curiously.

"The Supreme Flagship is the ruling power the Fleet of Fog has, aside from the Admirality Code, we follow any and all of her orders." Haruna replied.

"Those who haven't defected follow her orders, you however are already too far gone." 400 said, glancing at the blonde Fast Battleship with a blank look on her face.

"You didn't answer my question." Jonas said, glancing at 400. He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying his hardest not to blush. He wasn't expecting to see someone so cute standing so close to him. He didn't know why he was thinking those things now, but it seemed as if it was all that filled his mind. A bead of sweat trickled down the back of his neck, and the corner of his mouth was twitching a bit.

"Right, we have an urgent message from our superior. She wishes for you to read it." 400 said firmly. 402 walked up to him, handing him a sealed envelope. It was a pure white envelope, with his name written on the front in beautiful calligraphy. On the back of it was a triangular shaped marking that belonged to Yamato. He held it to the light, a smirk on his face.

"In this day and age and in this stage of the game, I would have thought she would send me an email." he said jokingly.

"Emails would be ineffective for this matter. This is something that concerns you and you alone, we must not interfere in this mission." 402 said firmly. He rose a brow in curiosity and turned the envelope over, sliding his finger over the flap. He pulled out the folded sheet of paper from within and opened it up.

"So, this is for my eyes only? Or can my crew see this?" he asked, glancing at the two mental models.

"It is for your eyes only, of course you can share it with your friends if you'd like. It is something that was supposed to be kept away from other Fleet of Fog vessels." 402 replied. He nodded and opened the paper up, seeing the familiar calligraphy written on the paper. He was surprised to see it written in English as opposed to Japanese like the first one had been.

" _My dearest Jonas,_

 _Are you well? It's been almost two years since our last meeting. I can still remember the day you ran into my patrol fleet on the northern border. It was so amusing to see you and your crew scared at the thought of seeing my vessel. But this letter isn't for us to remember the past. I have a mission for you and your crew, a mission that you must fulfill to the letter, unless you want me to destroy your precious Emerald Fleet. Once you have received this letter, give the twins the code on the card that's attached with this note. It will form a direct link with me where you will receive further instructions. I sincerely hope we can once again work together._

 _Yours truly, Yamato"_

Jonas reread the letter a few times, just to let it all sink into his mind. He passed the note to Iona who started reading it for herself. He grabbed the little card that was inside the envelope and looked at it, seeing a series of numbers that to him held no meaning.

"Is this some sort of joke? Who the fuck does Yamato think she is? She maybe the Supreme Flagship but she doesn't have the right to order me around." he snapped angrily.

"Jonas, might I remind you that you are in the presence of a child?" Haruna snapped, anger written on her face. He sighed, his lips pressed in a thin line.

"Sorry Haruna, I just...wasn't expecting this. Iona, share the contents of that letter with everyone would you. 400, 402, I want you to use this code to make a direct connection with Yamato. We will reconvene within one of your vessels. I want to have a private talk with her." he said firmly.

"You may step aboard me if you wish. I can guide you to my meeting hall." 400 said, earning a nod from him. The two mental models walked off, stepping onto the glowing magenta platform that was still connecting the submarine's to 401's deck.

"Wait, Jonas can I go with you?" Shiki asked, as they reached the top deck of 400. He gave her a nod and waited for her to reach them. The four of them disappeared within the submarine.

"What do you think is going on there?" Kyouhei asked, glancing at his captain with curiosity written on his face.

"Yamato must be putting him through another stupid mission." Miku said, climbing onto 401's deck. She was followed by the rest of Jonas's crew who were glaring at the two submarines.

"What do you mean by that?" Sou asked curiously.

"Well, this goes back to when we all left Hawaii on Shimakaze. Six months after, we were sailing a bit close to the northern border, which is near the state of Alaska. We ended up running into 402, who happens to be Yamato's right hand. We fought her off for a few minutes until the Supreme Flagship herself decided to join us. She was about to fire at us when Jonas walked onto the deck and asked for Parlay." Chloe said.

"Par..what?" Kyouhei asked.

"Parlay, it's a term often used by pirates. It basically means that they want to negotiate and that they will cease fire until everything has been settled." Makie said. Haruna looked at her curiously.

"I wasn't aware that you knew that term." she said.

"When I was growing up, my daddy and I watched a lot of movies, Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favorites. It was dark and mysterious, and fit the state of the world perfectly." she said.

"Jeez, this kid is something else." Nick muttered, leaning against the railing.

"Anyway, Jonas stepped aboard Yamato's ship and the two had a formal conversation. I don't know what exactly they talked about, but Jonas was rather angry afterwards. We set course for South Africa right after that. After making port, Jonas disappeared into the city and didn't come back for several hours. Shiki was going to go with find him, but he finally came back. He didn't say what happened or what he did there, but we steamed away from South Africa after that. That was around the time we started defending Taiwan from enemy ships so they could establish a fishing route. We also took care of business in Australia and Guam, where we picked up Taco and Serina." Miku said, remembering the long journey to South Africa.

"Well...whatever Yamato wants with him, it sounds serious...we have our own mission, so please understand if we don't want to get involved." Gunzou said.

"Don't worry, after everything that's happened, the last thing I want to do is get you involved in our matters." Miku said, giving him a smile.

"Oi, are you gonna let me go soon? I gotta go potty!" Maya cried loudly, from her spot near the mast. Apparently, Shiki grew so annoyed with her that she ended up tying her up near the top part of the bridge.

"Jeez, this is gonna be one of those days. Nick, get her down from there would you?" Miku said.  
"Why do I gotta to it?" he asked, glaring at the woman. She smiled, puffing her chest out a bit.

"Because, Jonas named me First Mate, meaning when he's not here, I'm in charge...would you please do it? For me?" she asked. He sighed and walked past her, muttering things under his breath.

"Jesus, when will you stop using those to your advantage?" Serina snapped angrily.

"When you grow two feet and gain some fat on that flat board you call a chest!" Miku said. Serina lunged at her, tackling her to the ground, where the two started beating the hell out of each other. Chloe facepalmed, feeling embarrassed.

"I need some coffee, try not to get blood on Iona's deck would you?" the redhead said, heading back toward Theta's hull. She was too tired to deal with their crap that early in the morning.

Having followed the two Mental models, Jonas now found himself within 400's meeting room. It was a rather bland place, with nothing of interest, other than the large table in the center of the room, which had a holographic display on it, showing various things, including their current position and the scanner. There were several chairs around the table, all bearing glowing markings on them.

"Please take a seat while we establish a connection." 400 said, a bit stiffly. He nodded, taking a seat at the end of the table. Shiki took the chair to his left, folding her hands over the table. The room brightened up a bit, as 400 and 402 were busy trying to reach out to Yamato. Jonas licked his lips, taking a deep breath. He blinked a few times, his eyes getting used to the darkness of the room.

"So uh...are all the rooms like this?" he asked, glancing at the pink haired girl.

"What do you mean?" 400 asked, not taking her eyes off her holographic display.

"Well...barren...there's nothing inside your vessel, no dining halls, bedrooms, all of the commodities of a ship are missing. Even Theta had all of that when we salvaged her vessel and fixed it up." he said.

"We don't want to waste processing power by maintaining the living conditions required for life aboard our vessels. We have no human crews, so it is deemed unnecessary." 402 replied.

"Unnecessary? Where do you girls sleep?" he asked curiously.

"We do not require sleep."

"Okay, that's bullshit. You may be Fog vessels and all, but everyone needs sleep. What happens if you hit your limit on your processor? Do you just sit around feeling tired until you can move around again?" he asked.

"Negative. We find all of the compartments that are in use and shut down everything that is unneeded to sustain our processing power. We've never exceeded it so there is no need to sleep. We also must be alert at all times, it is our duty to gather information." 402 said firmly. Jonas frowned, sitting back in his seat. Shiki looked at him, brows furrowed.

"Why the questions? They're surveillance submarines, other than gather information and take down ships silently, they don't do much." Shiki said.

"That's a sad existence. There's no way Yamato has these girls sail around the oceans gathering information for her and not let them rest." he said.

"Trust me, Yamato may be the Supreme Flagship, but when it comes to her personal guard, she cares deeply for them. I served as one of her guards after the war, and she took great care of me, at least until I was reassigned to the First Oriental Fleet." Shiki said.

"I didn't know you were part of her convoy, Shiki." Jonas said.

"Yeah, I don't like talking about it. I'm part of your fleet now, and I don't really like remembering stuff before we met...after all, I was a different ship...so to say." she said.

"Still, I can't believe Yamato does this...and she hasn't even given them a name...aren't you two annoyed that you refer to yourselves by number rather than name?" he asked, looking at the twins. 400 shook her head.

"It is my designated number, I do not require to be addressed by anything else." she said.

"And by that she means she's totally annoyed with the fact that she has no name. I mean even Iona has a name and isn't called 401 anymore." Shiki said, leaning back into her seat. 400 seemed rather annoyed by that comment, but didn't say anything.

"Man, Yamato is taking her sweet time answering this call...how much you wanna bet she's sleeping?" Jonas asked, earning a giggle from Shiki.

"I got three hundred Yen, that's like three bucks back in America." she said, digging her hand in her pocket.

"Alright, I'll raise you six and make it nine...we'll be able to afford a small Hawaiian Pizza when we dock." he said, already imagining the taste.

"Jonas Rongil, I have a question for you...what is a Pizza?" 402 asked curiously, her eyes glancing over to the young man. His brows furrowed a bit as he leaned back in his seat.

"Hmm...it's hard to explain...it's this food that originated from Italy, but after world war 2, it started becoming more popular world wide. Its made on a flat bread, and topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and tons of other things, the most common being pepperoni, but you can also have vegetables on it as well. There are various kinds too, like deep dish, pan pizza, stuffed crust...various small pizza parlors make their own specialty pizza as well. I guess for you to truly know what it is, you have to try it yourself. If you'd like we can get some in Hawaii, I have some business there anyway." he said.

"I.."

"Stop sister...if you listen to him, then you might catch what the other Mental models have. Having him this close to our cores is dangerous enough." 400 said firmly, silencing her sister up.

"Well...that was very rude...what's wrong with wanting to try something new? Don't you two need to gather information?" Shiki asked.

"We are indeed gathering information, but if we decide to trust humans, then we will end up like everyone else..and I don't want to become an anomaly in the code." she said simply. Jonas frowned, shaking his head.

"You know, I've learned quite a bit about you two...it's a shame we can't become better acquainted...but I will befriend you...I believe we can truly learn from each other..so even if you don't want to come with us to Hawaii, I'll find away for you to try that Pizza alright?" he asked, glancing at 402 who just remained silent. After a few seconds, the connection was finally established. A holographic version of Yamato appeared on the table top, glowing a bright blue in color. The twins bowed their heads slightly in respect. Jonas cleared his throat, catching her attention.

"Jonas, it has been awhile hasn't it?" she asked.

"Yes it has, so...what do you want?"

"Right to the point, it looks like you haven't changed at all. I noticed your core is finally online." she said. He narrowed his eyes, brow raised in curiosity.

"Ah, so you knew didn't you."

"But of course...who do you think took you to Hawaii in the first place?" she asked curiously. His eyes widened a bit in shock.

"It...it was you...you were the one that rescued me all of those years ago wasn't it?"

"Hmm...you are partially correct...the sole responsibility of saving your life fell to my little sister Musashi. She took you to Hawaii and visited you every day, I doubt you remember though." she said. Jonas narrowed his eyes in thought. He felt a sudden twinge of pain in his head, his hand flew to his forehead, gritting his teeth tightly.

"Jonas...are you alright? What's wrong?" Shiki asked, concern flowing through her system.

"I'm fine...just tired. What is it that you need Yamato? I'm quite busy." he said, glancing back at the hologram.

"Trying to get rid of me already? That isn't like you? Didn't you say something along the lines of, "I want to befriend the Fog"? Certainly this is a good time as any...I'll need you to go on a mission for me." she said.

"Absolutely not! I already took a personal mission to protect the 401 until she makes port in San Diego. I am not going to deviate my fleet so I can become your goddamn errand boy. You can forget it." he said, standing up from his seat.

"Do I have to remind you of what you hold within you? As a Fleet of Fog vessel, you must answer to my call." she said firmly. Jonas grit his teeth, feeling a slight pain in his chest.

"Fine...what do you want me to do?" he asked, through grit teeth. She smiled.

"It's quite simple, I'll even allow you to continue your fool hardy mission toward's America. I require you to meet with my sister Musashi in Antananarivo. You must deliver something important to her, in three days time, I will make contact with you to deliver the package. Musashi isn't aware of this, so I want her to be surprised...if you do this, then our debt will be settled." She said firmly.

"Debt? You must mean when you saved me correct?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Indeed...you may even keep that core within your chest if you'd like. All of the old drivers have been deleted, so it is your property now. Do we have an agreement?" she asked. Jonas glanced at Shiki, who merely gave him a shrug.

"Say we accept this mission of yours, how will I find Musashi? I've clearly never met her, much less remember if I did. It would be hard on her especially knowing there's a Yamato-class Superbattleship parked outside of the island." Jonas said. Yamato smirked.

"Musashi herself will not be on her vessel, rather she is going to be taken to Madagascar on one of the Passenger Liners that belong to the Fleet of Fog. Are you familiar with the Olympic-class vessels?" Yamato asked.

"Of course, as part of my naval training, I studied everything I could about pre-war battleships. The Olympic-class vessels were three passenger ships created in Belfast Ireland. While the Flagship, _Olympic_ made it through World War 1, her sister ships _Titanic_ and _Britannic_ did not...but what is this about?" he asked.

"Musashi will be sailing to Madagascar on the RMS Titanic...while she wasn't designed as a battleship, it seemed the Admirality Code became fond of this class. She will be sailing with a convoy of ships, the HMS Hawk, the HMS Princes of Wales and of course her older sister and Flagship, the HMT Olympic. All of them will be making port in Antsirabe. It should be quite the experience for you, I recall you have a fascination for old Steam Liners and Battleships." Yamato said.

"How the hell do you know that?" he asked curiously. She giggled, rolling her eyes.

"Call it, intuition." she said. He sighed, pinching his eyes. What Yamato was requesting was really annoying him. He would not only be sailing through dangerous waters, but he was also going to meet with the Supreme Flagship's sister, for nothing more than a tiny package. Of course, this also gave him the chance to sway other vessels to his side. He had successfully convinced Isuzu, Shiretoko, Beta and Theta to his side...he could always increase the size of his fleet.

"Alright, I accept this mission, but I expect upfront compensation, not only because I'm risking myself, but also because I am placing my crew in danger. I also expect a call off order so we can sail peacefully, the last thing we need is to be delivering your package and be fired at." he said.

"Understood, as for the compensation, you need only name what you want...and I shall provide it for you." she said. He smirked, clicking his time.

"I want full ownership of I-400 and I-402, your personal guards." he said. Both girls seemed taken aback, while Shiki only grinned, breaking into a fit of giggles.

"Man Jonas, I wasn't expecting you to hit her with that bombshell." she said.

"My apologies, but I cannot just hand over my personal guards to you...they are quite special to me, if you'd like I can assign some other boats to your fleet, you are a very amusing young man...it surely is quite entertaining to watch you!" she said.

"I don't think you understand me Yamato, if you want me to drag my ass all the way across the Pacific and Indian oceans, then I expect something worth my time and effort. If not you can deliver that package your damn self. Or is it to hard for the Supreme Flagship to handle her own business? I guess the peasants have to eat too." he said. Yamato sighed, shaking her head.

While she was amused by this young man, she was also quite annoyed. She hadn't been expecting him to request ownership of her two most loyal servants. The girls had remained quiet, not at all voicing their concern, though the look on 402's face was enough to tell her that she was uncomfortable. Yamato gave her a warm smile.

"It's alright 402, I'm not going to give you over to him...how about we strike a deal...let's as you humans put "Meet in the Middle". I shall allow you to take ownership of 400, but will requisition her if needed, I shall also give you the ownership of another Fog vessel, how about the RMS Titanic? She would do just fine I think, and she would make for an excellent Flagship, seeing as Shimakaze's hull has been destroyed."

Jonas narrowed his eyes a bit. Taking ownership of a Passenger Liner would be ideal, seeing as all the accommodations inboard would be great for the crew, however it would also be a hindrance, seeing as she also barely had any armament. He remembered the armament that had been placed on the Olympic during World War 1, it was only a few guns, no missiles or torpedo tubes, which put them at great risk."

"We would have to redesign her, take out several of the second and third class cabins and turn those into weapon rooms, add some torpedo tubes on the sides of the hull, maybe take out some of the fittings on the poop deck and redesign them entirely, replacing everything with vertical missile launchers...it would be a great feat to turn that vessel into an attack ship."

"But we need a Flagship, at least until my hull is repaired. It would me much easier to have Tohka make all of these additions to her hull." Shiki said.

"Hmm...perhaps Hyuuga can assist us, she'll have to be in port for awhile, who's to say we won't be attacked by then? Beta reported unusual activity from the US Naval Base in Guam." Jonas said. He sighed, glancing back at Yamato.

"I apologize Yamato...but I honestly cannot find a proper use for a vessel like her. She is a beautiful ship, no doubt about it, but as a war vessel and a Flagship, she would be a hindrance, and refitting her with weaponry would prove too difficult. If you cannot part with your submarines, then we don't have a deal. Besides, I have much better fish to fry than being turned into an errand boy." he said. He stood up from his seat, followed by Shiki.

"I'll let myself out, and don't even think of firing on me, because we'll sink you faster than you can imagine." he said firmly, glancing at the twin submarines. He couldn't help but blush when he made eye contact with 400.

"You'll be making a grave mistake in ignoring me Jonas." Yamato said firmly, a smirk on her face. He turned back to her, giving her a grin.

"If you have a problem with it, then why don't you get your ass out here and tell it to my face?" he said, finally leaving the meeting room. Yamato sighed, brushing some strands of hair from her face.

"Why a peculiar boy...but he will undoubtedly agree to my demands. You two keep an eye on them, but stay at a distance, when you have the chance, I want you to sink Theta, that should be enough of a warning for him."

"Understood!" the girl said, ending the call. 400 shared a look with her sister, who was frowning a bit. She had her hand over her chest, eyes narrowed in thought.

"Is something wrong sister?"

"Negative...it's just...that boy...he felt genuine compassing toward Shiki...as if he cared for her more than just a ship." she said.

"Lies...that human doesn't care about us, we are part of the Fleet of Fog, no human can show compassion toward us. That ploy about him taking ownership of us, it was just to further his own goals, to increase his fleet. I felt it." she said.

"I also felt genuine attraction dear sister, could you perhaps be jealous that Yamato didn't agree to his deal?" 402 said in a teasing tone, causing the older twin blush.

"I know not what you mean sister. Spending so much time with humans is messing with our programming, we must distance ourselves from them." she said firmly.

Once on the deck, Jonas met up with his crew, everyone of them watching intently as the two submarines took off into the depths, just as quickly as they had shown off. Jonas looked at Maya's hull, a frown on his face.

"Shiki, put Maya under a 24 hour weapons lockdown and cut her loose. Set her course for the Philippines." Jonas said.

"Understood captain!" she said, her green rings flashing to life around her.

"So, what was that all about?" Miku asked.

"Yamato wanted me to complete a mission for her, but I turned her down. We need to make our way to America as fast as we can...I'm sorry Gunzou, but I might've dragged your crew and your ship into danger." he said, feeling remorse. The young man chuckled.

"Don't worry, this is all part of the job. Let's continue our course for Iwoto, we'll figure out what to do then." he said.

"Captain, all links with Maya have been severed, her course has been set." Shiki said. Just then, the pink themed Heavy Cruiser begun moving, causing the brown haired girl to look at them.

"Hey, what are you doing? Stop!" she cried, only for it to fall on deaf ears. Accessing her specs, she saw that her course had been set to the south and she couldn't change it. She gave them a hateful glare, watching as the two ships disappeared from her sight.

Finally being back in his seat, Jonas glanced around the bridge, glancing at all of his friends and crew members. To him, it felt like it had been years since having been in this seat, but it had only been two days. A very eventful two days. They were now steaming back toward Iwoto, hoping to make it there at a reasonable time.

"Captain, are you still thinking about that offer?" Miku asked curiously. It had been a question that had been plaguing her mind since he had explained everything to them in detail. He shook his head.

"Our priority is to protect 401 from any and all Fog vessels looking to sink her. However, it seems our enemies are becoming more aware of our actions. Pissing off the Supreme Flagship may not have been a good call, but I will not drag my crew half way around the world on some delivery mission. We will continue to Hawaii as planned." he said.

"Oi, when we actually get back to the island, what exactly are you going to do? I'm sure that order good old Tommy gave us covers Japan only, and after last night, I'm sure it's void." Nick said.

"He raises a good point Captain, returning to our previous domain may prove a little more dangerous than we'd hope." Chloe said.

"I agree, it's going to be dangerous...but 401 needs to make port there...you saw everything back in Iwoto, their supplies are running short, and their armament consists of partial recovered munitions from Kirishima, Haruna and Maya. We couldn't access most of the materials we had, even with Shiki's control of Maya's hull. We are also running low on our end as well." he said.

"Making a trip to Rota Island may prove too much for us too, so resupplying there is also out of the question...maybe we shouldn't have chosen such a faraway place." Miku said.

"Where the hell else could we have gone? It's not like we had a choice in the matter." Serina asked.

"Hmm...Isuzu, I want you to do a search on deserted islands between Japan and America...transmit your findings to me." Jonas said. She gave him a nod, opening her search system. Several dots appeared on it, highlighted in a bright red. She sent him the results, the holographic screen opening up before him.

"What are you thinking captain?" she asked.

"I'm thinking, that we could use one of these abandoned islands as a temporary base of operations. We can't access our home port, but that doesn't mean we can't make a temporary one. I think Midway will be a good choice." he said, displaying the search on the screen.

"Midway is...or was a nature reserve...the entire landmass that made it up is a foot and a half underwater...but the lagoon should be deep enough for our ships to dock." Nick said, looking over the findings.

"Better yet, with Shiretoko on our side, she can easily turn this atoll from useless to useful in a matter of hours. She'll have to steam full speed in order to reach it, that gives us about a four day window from Iwoto, provided nothing happens or gets in our way." Taco said.

"Good eye captain, this will surely benefit us in the future." Chloe said.

"Except the fact that there's nothing on it, including protection. It took six months for Tohka to beef up our home port, do you actually think she can do in six days what it took her six months to complete?" Serina asked. Shiki chuckled, shaking her head. She held up a single finger, wagging it back and forth.

"Oh Serina, you still underestimate our processing power. Shiretoko alone can easily handle the work load alone, but should she receive help from other Mental models, that work load will be reduced in a matter of hours. It just so happens that we can provide such power in very little time. Hell, she doesn't even need her vessel, just a pod containing her nanomaterial crafting equipment. She can remake her vessel easily, mount security even faster than before. It took her six months because she took her time, but this should serve to prove her power. Captain, I will go directly to Rota Island and inform her personally of this development, Suzy will come with me." Shiki said.

"What...okay..but we can't leave Theta all defenseless, what happens if those two decide to attack?"

"Jeez, thanks for the vote of confidence. Wasn't it me that ended up saving your sorry asses when Kirishima and Haruna sunk you?" she asked firmly, a hint of annoyance on her face.

"That is true...girls you need to trust your friends. As a Flagship you should know that Shiki...I trust that you'll handle this mission." Jonas said. The girl blushed a vibrant red, and she gave him a salute.

"Then we'll be on our way. Good luck, we'll see you in Six days time...let's go Suzy."

"Oh um...alright...take care captain, everyone." she said, giving her friends a bow before following her friend and sister to the boat deck. Within seconds, the F-15 Eagle took off into the distance, leaving behind a vibrant green trail of energy.

"Now approaching Central Iwoto Islands...docking codes confirmed, Hyuuga wants us to head into dry dock number 4." Theta said.

"Understood, continue at half speed." Jonas said. Once on land, he would make sure to explain everything in detail to Gunzou and his crew. He wasn't about to let Yamato stick her hands into the pot, not if he could help it.

Xxx

Admiral Daniels woke up with a start, the pounding on his door having served as his alarm. He didn't know what time it was, but it was still late in the night. He hastily got up, placing his loafers on his feet. He made his way to the door, opening it to reveal one of his cadets.

"I'm sorry to wake you sir, but you've been requested at the secret dry dock." he said. The man nodded and closed the door. Hastily dressing himself, he left his room and started making his way to the dry dock. He had glanced at the clock, seeing it was around two in the morning. Whatever could they want from him at this time? He wondered.

Finally entering the dry dock, he rode the elevator down, being followed by a few other cadets and high ranking officers. The doors opened and he stepped out, the blinding lights stunned him a bit, but he continued his brisk walk down the stairs and down into the docks. He laid eyes on the remainder of the United States Naval Fleet, but what caught his eyes was the only Fog ship contained within the harbor.

The USS Iowa, one of the strongest of the Fleet of Fog, a ship that had been dormant for years, was finally active. The glowing white markings on her hull were shedding incandescent light all over the docks. Scientists and researchers scrambled to get readings on the vessel, who's wave force armor was glowing brilliantly. He walked further into the docks, a few researchers bumping into him. He finally eyed the Governor, who was looking at him with a smirk.

"Admiral Daniels, good of you to come." he said firmly.

"Mr. Governor sir...what is the meaning of this?" he asked. The man smirked, looking back at the Iowa.

"It seems Jonas Rongil has finally activated his core. This vessel is responding to it. For seven years we've waited for this momentous occasion, and it has finally arrived. The USS Iowa lives on as a Fleet of Fog vessel, but she will continue serving the United States of America." the man said.

"Sir I..."

"Don't worry Admiral, I already named you Captain and have Christened her under the Flag, you are free to set sail at any time." the man said.

"Yes but...don't we need Jonas with us? After all he is in control of it." Daniels said. The man chuckled, giving him a nod.

"Yes, Jonas is in control of it, and it won't be long until he calls for his ship. We will be moving her into a secret dock outside, and when she begins moving, your crew will be aboard. The ship will take you directly to him, and you will the assume control. Jonas Rongil is property of the United States, and he will serve us, whether he wants too or not." the man said. Admiral Daniels swallowed hard, glancing at the solid white hull that made up the Iowa. The eerie white markings made him nervous.

"I'm not...sure I agree with this sir...Jonas is a human being..subjecting him to this...isn't the experiment enough?" the admiral said.

"Daniels, you know as well as I do that this island is fucked. We're running out of provisions from the last drop two years ago, the fields are over worked, we cannot survive any longer. This ship is our salvation. It can and will protect our vessels until we make port in California. For this country, we must do what we can to ensure it's survival. You have been appointed captain, so don't disappoint me." the man said firmly. Daniels nodded, earning a smile from the man who clapped his shoulder.

"Good good, I want you to pick your officers. You will remain on the ship after it has been moved to it's outdoor dock, it won't be long until it leaves port."

Admiral Daniels nodded, turning back to the ship. She was a beautiful vessel, one that could very well help them, or destroy them. If Jonas's core had become active, then it that meant that he was already aware of what had been done, and if that was true, than that young man would want nothing more than vengeance for what had been done. Seven years of his life were gone because of this experiment, and surely he would want some payback for his mistreatment. With great trepidation, the man walked up the gangplank, not wanting to disappoint his superior.


	14. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hello wonderful people and welcome to a new chapter of Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Emerald Eagles. Things are starting to get interesting, with Jonas meeting Yamato and refusing her mission. Kongou is starting to get angry and is already making a plan to deal with Chihaya Gunzou and with Jonas Rongil. This chapter is going to expand on that a bit.**

 **It is going to show a bit of interaction between both crews as they take a break in the Blue Steel Home Port. So I hope you all like it, it might be a little short, my standards are usually pretty high, so I am for around 30 pages, but this one is just shy of 27. Regardless, I worked hard to come up with the plot, which included watching the episode six times so I could memorize the dialogue and everything that happened, and trust me that wasn't fun, especially with the crappy internet I've got.**

 **Shoutout to ExxotikMeow for being a loyal fan...this one is dedicated to you!**

 **Without further adoo, here's Chapter 12...**

 **Pray for me, I just saw a weather forecast for New Hampshire and we are getting screwed with snow...I might not make it past the next few days. Last time I got stuck in my house for 3 days eating nothing but ramen, bread and listening to Taylor Swift's Shake it off on loop for nearly the entire time. And once again, I will listen to Taylor Swift, though this time it's her and Zayn Malik...man never thought I would be listening to an ex-One Direction members..I just felt a shiver run down my spine...**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 12

To say Kongou was mad was an understatement. After two days of silence, she had gotten a call sign from Maya, only for her to be sent halfway to the Philippines. She had quickly redirected her course and broke the locks placed on her by Shimakaze's crew, but had then realized she had little armament left, not counting her thanatonium charges. She had sent her repair ship to her currently location to repair any damages done to her hull and also to replenish her armament, but now she directed her hatred towards the ones that did it.

"I fail to understand what you humans intend to do. You are so full of pride...taking someone captive, stealing their weapons, and you get let off Scott free..what is Yamato thinking?" she asked herself. She was sitting atop her bridge, watching the calm waters before her. Several seagulls flew around her and her convoy.

"Kirishima and Haruna have also decided to leave the fleet, and for a design child like Okasabe Makie...what makes her special? What makes you special, Chihaya Gunzou? What has caught 401's interest and made her side with you?"

" _Kongou, my resupply is done, will we be heading out soon? I'm bored!"_ Maya cried, her childish voice filling her ears. Kongou had the tiniest of smiles on her face.

"We will head out soon Maya. Remain on standby, I want to search Kirishima and Haruna's locations, something tells me they'll lead us right to their den."

" _Understood, and if you find those meanies who took control of my ship, let me know so I can fire my payload at them!"_

"Of course Maya...you can throw your own carnival with Jonas Rongil and his crew."

xxx

Gunzou and his crew were slowly heading into their dry dock, following the bright orange markings that would lead into the underwater entrance. Theta was several meters away from them on the surface, preparing to enter the docks through the surface entrance. He glanced at the screen, reading a bit of the information displayed on it.

"Captain, do you think it was a good idea to bring two fast battleships with us?" Sou asked curiously, looking at his friend. Iona turned to him as well, glancing at him curiously.

"Not to worry, I had Iona lock their weapons." he said.

" _Damn, if only I had my weapons unlocked!"_ Kirishima thought, clenching her hands tightly.

" _401 helped us in our time of need, as did Jonas Rongil and his crew..without their help, we would have been destroyed...I want to know why they helped us. I just can't accept their explanation alone."_ Haruna thought.

"Haruharu...is something wrong?" Makie asked, glancing back at the blonde who shook her head. She gave her a smile.

"I'm alright Makie, I promise we'll keep you safe." she said.

"Hmm...maybe I can find some spare nanomaterial and reconstitute my old body!" Kirishima said excitedly, the prospect of regaining her old body filled her with joy.

"Kirishima, you should stay like that for a little longer."

"What? How come?" she snapped, looking back at her sister.

"It will be much easier for Makie if you remain in that form."

"Why would I do that for a little...girl?" she asked, looking back at Makie, who just gave her a bright smile. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, it is easy to move around, so I don't mind much." she said. Finally entering the dock, the submarine surfaced, right above the mooring arms. They slowly started to move, locking the vessel in place.

"To think, 401's stronghold was this place all along." Kirishima muttered, quite impressed that they had an island solely to themselves. Haruna opened her map, seeing a bright orange sheen over the island.

"This place has a heavily places signal on it, it's interference made it impossible for us to pick up on our radars." she said. The arms finished locking the vessel in place, the all clear appeared on screen, finally letting the crew stand up.

"Well, welcome to our stronghold Kirishima and Haruna. You don't need to worry about anything, I'm sure Hyuuga will take care of you." Gunzou said.

"Hyuuga? You mean the fast battleship Hyuuga?" Haruna asked curiously.

"I didn't think, she'd defected to their side." Kirishima said firmly, not believing their former Flagship to be sided with humans.

"Gunzou, there seems to be someone else here. I'll display the image on the screen." Iona said. The screen fizzled out for a few seconds, finally showing them a crimson colored Heavy Cruiser, which had been facing them. Everyone gasped.

"The Heavy Cruiser, Takao? What's she doing here?" Haruna asked curiously.

"Heh, Takao had gone AWOL after being defeated by 401...to think they had seized control of her."

"Actually Kirishima, we aren't aware of this...Iona, is Hyuuga alright?" Gunzou asked.

"Yes, she's come down to meet with us." the blue haired girl replied.

"Well, if Hyuuga hasn't been subjugated, then there certainly must be a reason for why Takao is here. Let's go ashore, she'll surely explain things to us." Gunzou said firmly.

Just as the crew of the 401 had left their vessel, Theta's hull surfaced, falling into place on the hanger beside the 401. The loud whirling sounds of the locking mechanism filled the area, along with the dull thud of the arms locking the hull in place. The automatic gangplanks lowered, allowing the crew to finally be back on land. Since they had been in the center of the docks, they had to get onto the other side by crossing over 401's main deck, but they were soon gathered with everyone else.

"Man, it's strange being back here. I surely thought it would be a one time deal." Nick said, looking around the place.

"Hyuuga was generous with us, so we had to return the favor. Let's see how she's doing." Jonas said firmly. His crew stood beside Gunzou's all of them glancing at the Heavy Cruiser currently present before them.

"Wonder what's going on there?" Chloe said, muttering the question to Miku.

"Guess we'll find out soon."

A familiar white pod appeared in front of them, bearing a pixelated face. Jonas recognized it from the first time he had met the Harbor Master. Though he did find it odd that she was back inside it. Was she perhaps nervous that the captain was back? Jonas didn't know, but he was quite amused.

"Welcome back Captain. I assume everything went well?" she asked.

"Indeed, Hyuuga, thanks for guarding our stronghold for these past six months. I really appreciate it." Gunzou said firmly.

"It's no problem captain, after all...I only did it for...Sister Iona!"

Iona who hadn't been paying much attention turned back at the sound of her name, only to see the pod fully open up. Hyuuga literally glomped the shorter girl, knocking her to the ground.

"Sister Iona, I can finally see you again! It's been such a long time since I last did, just thinking about it reminds me of that day over a year ago, when your torpedoes penetrated my hull and filled me with a euphoria I had never experienced before!" she cried loudly, rubbing her face against Iona's.

"P-please Hyuuga...could you let go?" she asked softly.

"I will not, I've waited this long so I could finally hug you with my own arms! I am not letting this moment go to waste!" she cried.

"Uh...I don't remember Hyuuga being this.. _.forward_..the last time I was here." Jonas said.

"Perhaps she mounted a strange plug in?" Haruna suggested.

"I dunno, Hyuuga was always the weird one in the fleet." Theta said, ignoring the fact that the brown haired woman was literally humping the girl onto the ground. Upon hearing that, she quickly composed herself and stood up, giving Iona a bit of breathing room.

"Light Cruiser Theta, I will not have you calling me "Weird"." she said firmly, glancing at the redhead. She crossed her arms, a smirk on her face.

"Sorry Miss Flagship, but you are weird and now that I can freely express myself, I will do so in an orderly fashion..weirdo." she replied. Jonas slapped the back of her head, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Theta, respect her...we are here in their stronghold, so I want you to be polite and courteous." he said firmly. She grumbled under her breath.

"So...you are the mental model of the Fast Battleship Hyuuga?" Gunzou asked curiously.

"I am...I felt this was the best way to interact with you...it's my first time meeting you in this form, so hello." she said.

"I hate to interrupt this meeting and all..but why did you defect to their side?" Kirishima asked. The brunette smirked, glancing at the small teddy bear.

"Kirishima and Haruna...you two want to know why I defected, and yet you forget what happened when the two of you docked together and were destroyed by them?"

"Why I oughta..." Kirishima snapped angrily.

"You should know the answer to that question by now...you found someone special to protect right? That's why I'm doing this, to protect every body that's special to me, and speaking of bodies!" she said, turning her attention to Iona. Her pod instantly grabbed the girl, holding her suspended in the air.

"I'm good at fixing bodies, let me take a look at yours Sister Iona, I promise to be gentle!" she said, grabbing the hem of the girl's skirt. Somehow, Iona was able to break free and land a solid kick to Hyuuga's face, sending her flying into some crates.

"Hyuuga, I want you to make repairs and refill our thanatonium charges. I want all of this done for the next time we set sail." Iona said, pointing to her vessel. Jonas was actually impressed with how stern she could be.

"Y-yes s-sir!" Hyuuga cried, clutching her head in pain.

"Not that this isn't entertaining, but what's that doing here?" Jonas said, pointing to Takao's vessel. Hyuuga stood up and cleared her throat.

"Ah yes...about that."

"401, and crew...it's been awhile." a firm voice said. Looking at the port side deck, Jonas could see the mental model of the heavy cruiser. She had changed her outfit, now wearing a sleeveless light red shirt, with a matching red skirt. She had kept her long black stockings, and had exchanged her white heels for black ones. She had a firm look on her face. Upon seeing Gunzou though, her cheeks became red and she clutched her chest tightly.

"Gunzou-sama!" she exclaimed.

"Wait...who are you again?" Kyouhei asked. With a wave of her hand, Takao fired her turrets, the sound of lead hitting the ground sent Kyouhei running back, trying to avoid the gunfire. Takao sighed, her body glowing a bright red.

"Maybe this will jog your memory." she said, changing into her previous outfit.

"I sailed here before you and occupied this base, just so that I could speak with you all."

"Actually, you fell to my gunfire and security systems and were taken captive." Hyuuga corrected, a smirk on here face.

"I see, that seems more reasonable." Shizuka said, earning a laugh from Iori.

"You came here...to meet us?" Gunzou asked.

"Oh uh...yes...that's right." she said. The man glanced at Jonas who just gave him a shrug. He was also confused, it made Takao's motive all the more interesting to hear about. She had been acting strange too, not at all like what she had shown the last time they had met.

"Well..let's hear what you have to say." he said.

"This should be good." Nick said, cracking open a bottle of Mountain Dew. He handed one to Jonas who took a long swig from it.

"Um...well...I.."

" _That's right Takao...go ahead and say it!"_

Jonas glanced to his right, staring right at Hyuuga, who had unknowingly broadcasted her thoughts right to him. He looked at the other mental models but it seemed he was the only one who heard it.

"I want you to hand over.." Takao continued, pointing her finger right at Gunzou, the blush on her cheeks darkening a bit.

" _Go on Takao, say it! Hand Over Chihaya Gunzou...then I can have Sister Iona all to myself!"_

"Yo, captain are you alright?" Taco asked, noticing the weird look on Jonas's face. He had been intently watching the brown haired harbor master, seeing the lewd look on her face. She licked her lips, a bit of drool forming at the corner of her mouth.

"Hand over...Chi...Chi...hand over the Vibration Warhead and all of the data you've collected on it!" Takao finally screamed, earning gasps from everyone, including Hyuuga. She stiffened a bit, most likely not understanding what she had just said.

"Takao...we cannot do that!" Gunzou snapped angrily. He was about to say something else when a white and orange blur zoomed past him, jumping high into the air.

"Takao you idiot! What the hell are you doing?" Hyuuga shouted, landing on the boat deck.

"Um...I messed up?" Takao said, pressing her fingers together. The brown haired woman grabbed a fist full of her shirt, pulling her to eye level.

"You messed up? We had a deal and you messed up!"

As the two women continued to argue, Jonas had rapidly lost interest. He glanced back at Gunzou who gestured for him and everyone else to follow. Once the yelling had died down a bit, he proceeded to talk.

"Sorry about that, Hyuuga isn't normally like that. Somehow I doubt Takao said what was truly on her mind." he said.

"It would seem so...she didn't seem that way when we first met...she's a first class Tsundere if I ever saw one." Jonas said, earning a chuckle from the others. He shook his head.

"But anyway, I would prefer it if we got back to business. I sent Shiki and Isuzu back to our home port shortly before arriving here. I realized that crossing the Pacific was going to be rather difficult, and with your shortage of armament, it would be a dangerous trek. So, we will be leading you to our temporary base of operations, over in Midway. By now, the girls should be getting ready to assemble it." he said.

"Midway...not a bad choice Jonas." Haruna said, already looking up the location on the map.

"It's going to take us five days to sail there, even at full speed. We'll have to tread carefully, so I've decided it's best to travel at half just in case we run into anything. We'll take the brunt of it while you guys fire accordingly. Once we arrive, Shiretoko will conduct more permanent repairs and will replenish your payload, we should be set to travel to America then. Of course we'll have to drop by Pearl Harbor so that they can send a message to San Diego." he said.

"What do you think captain? Is it a good idea?" Sou asked, looking at his friend and captain. Finally arriving at the meeting room, everyone proceeded to enter. Gunzou remained silent for a few minutes, before giving Sou a nod.

"I believe it's a good idea. Shiretoko is a resupply and repair vessel, so she should have the adequate equipment to fix anything that Hyuuga can't repair on her own. Our supply of nanomaterial is dwindling, so we had to leave this place anyway." he said.

"With us bringing Kirishima and Haruna along, it won't be long before someone shows up to check on us." Iori said.

"My apologies...we didn't mean to cause you anymore trouble." Haruna said. She placed her arms on Makie's shoulders, seeing the frown on her face.

"Nonsense, you aren't causing us trouble...sooner or later someone was going to find it. Without knowing who will show up, we'll have to act accordingly. Hyuuga's defenses are first rate so we should be alright. Once the 401 is finished repairs, we will continue onwards..for now everyone is on standby...rest up...we'll need it." he said.

"Everything is the same for us. Theta, I want you and Miku to run diagnostics on our hull..make sure all of our sensors are repaired and ready to go...we are 401's first line of defense so I want every single nook and cranny of that ship examined and I want everything you find in my hand as soon as you are done."

"Understood captain!" the two girls said firmly.

"As for the rest of you...you've earned yourselves a break. This might be the only time we get to have such luxuries, so make sure to have fun and be ready for battle. I have to speak with Hyuuga about something." Jonas said, turning to leave.

"Do you want me to come with you Jonas?" Serina asked, already knowing what he was referring too. He shook his head.

"I'll be alright. It's not like Takao is going to fire her guns at me, and if she does I can always deflect her bullets...just rest up okay? I'll be fine." he said, leaving the room.

"Do you really think he's fine?" Miku asked in a worried tone.

"Course he is. He's our captain, he's never lead us astray before." Nick said.

"Yes but you must remember what happened a few hours ago, he's most likely going to speak with Hyuuga about it, the last thing we need is Yamato ramming her bow right up our stern." Chloe said, minding her language.

"Jonas Rongil...he has a bigger burden than any of us..being a human and a mental model must be tough on him." Haruna said, a frown on her face.

"Everything will be fine...Jonny is going to be fine!" Makie said, earning a laugh from everyone.

"You girls should rest up, you must be fatigued after everything that's happened...feel free to use our beach to relax..I doubt we'll be using it for much longer." Gunzou said.

"I appreciate your generosity...I think we'll take you up on that offer." Haruna said, a small smile on her face. She was still greatly confused about many things, but for now these new feelings weren't a burden for her processor to take, and it seemed Kirishima was also doing well.

"Yo, is something wrong Taco? You've been really quiet." Nick said, switching from Japanese to English. Taco glared at him, arms crossed in disdain.

"Of course something is wrong, I can't speak with anyone. I can understand everything you are saying, but I can't reply. How do you think I feel?" he hissed back. His eyes flashed back to Shizuka who was talking with Iori about something. Nick caught his gaze, a smirk on his face.

"Ah, so you have the hots for the raven haired girl...not a bad choice if I say so myself." Nick said.

"Bro, how can I possibly be thinking about that during a time like this?" he asked.

"Taco...Taco Taco Taco...it's simple..all you have to do is go up to her and say, _Oppai Daisuki._ I assure you, 100% guarantee that she will love you back." he said. Taco looked at him, a frown on his face.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Nick slowly nodded, taking a sip from his drink.

"I don't trust you, remember that girl back in India? You said that she would love me if told her I had a long didgeridoo...and look at where that got me." he said.

"Okay, that time I was just fucking you, but this time I'm not. Trust me, I've used that line on many ladies back home and they always come at me in droves!" he said. Taco narrowed his eyes.

" _Oppai Daisuki_...are you sure you aren't lying?" Taco asked.

"Every word I've said is the honest truth. I'm a pirate so I have to follow the Pirates Code after all. Go on, I'll be watching." he said, pushing him forward. Taco, straightened his shirt up a bit and fixed his braids. He took a deep breath and made his way across the room. Serina stood next to Nick, watching the young man closely.

"What the hell did you put him up to this time?" she asked.

"Shh...just watch!" he said. He had his phone in hand, already recording it. Taco cleared his throat, gaining the two girl's attention.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Shizuka asked him. Taco looked back at Nick who just made a "Go Ahead" motion with his hand, trying to block his phone.

" _Oppai Daisuki?_ " he said, though it came out as a question. Iori's eyes widened a bit, not expecting that at all.

"Oh...you do, do you?" Shizuka said angrily. Faster than the blink of an eye, she slapped Taco across the face. She huffed flicking a strand of her hair behind her shoulder.

"Let's go Iori, I have better things to deal with than perverts like this one." she said, dragging her friend away. Iori held back her chuckles as she followed the Sonar operator out of the room.

"Son of a bitch! That fucking hurt!" Taco exclaimed. Nick broke into laughter, almost dropping the drink in his hand. Taco glared at him, clenching his hand.

"What the hell did I say to her?" he asked.

"That phrase I told you, it means "I like big boobs". You totally fell for it." Nick replied.

"You jack wagon piece of shit. I'm gonna kick your ass." Taco shouted. Nick raced off, laughing his head off as he went. Chloe sighed.

"It's something different, every damn time." she said.

"I feel sorry for you, are all humans this obnoxious?" Kirishima asked, earning a chuckle from the redhead.

"Not on occasion, but those two can get on anyone's nerves, whenever the girls aren't fighting about who has the bigger boobs, it's them fighting it out over stupid crap. I'm gonna head to the beach, it might be awhile before I can actually go to one again." she said, giving them a wave.

Jonas finally let out the breath he was holding. Ever since getting his core activated, he had been feeling a bit..different. It was as if he was a super computer, and had immense powers just from a small device in his chest, which in reality, it was. He didn't know why, but he felt less human than he did before. A part of him wished he had never found out about it, so that he could continue living his life as peacefully as he had, but now that he knew about it, there was nothing he could do. His heart had been taken out and replaced with it, it was his life now, and there was nothing he could do about it. He sighed, allowing his holographic rings to appear around him. He didn't search anything, he just stood there, staring at them, the bold white color that made them up, the small algorithms that were written on it, it was all so surreal.

"You know, you aren't any less human for having a core within you."

He jumped a bit, looking to his right to see the woman he was originally looking for. Takao stood beside her, gawking at him a bit. He let the rings vanish, turning fully to her.

"Oh...Hyuuga, I was looking for you." he said. She looked him over, auburn eyes meeting his own blue ones.

"Jonas, is there something you aren't telling me?" she asked firmly. He sighed, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"I'm that easy to read?"

"Like an open book I'm afraid. Come, I'll listen to what you've got to say. I have to run some diagnostics on 401 anyway." she said. He nodded, falling into pace beside her. Takao looked away from him, holding her nose up high.

"It's nice to meet you too Takao. We didn't exactly meet the first time since we were just passing through." he said.

"I...suppose it's nice to meet you too." she replied, after half a minute of silence. The three of them finally reached the dry dock, where the two ships were currently being held. He briefly saw Miku and Theta, just before they ducked into the bridge. A holographic screen appeared before Hyuuga, showing her all of the damage the 401 had taken after it's last battle.

"So, let's get on with it...what do you want to tell me?" she asked, eyes firmly on the screen in front of her. He took a few seconds, trying to formulate what he wanted to say.

"Well...I don't feel human anymore. Before, it was okay because I was blissfully unaware of what had happened to me. But now that I have control over my core, I just fell..inadequate..like I'm only half the person I used to be. I know I'm still fully human, but the thought of having a quantum computer in me, capable of manifesting a ship...it's just a bitter pill to swallow. Not only that, Yamato knows what's been done, hell she gave the US Government everything they needed for this to work fully." he said.

"Whoa wait a minute...you have the core in you, that I get, Hyuuga explained that to me earlier...but are you sure Yamato actually interacted with humans?" Takao asked curiously.

"I'm sure...I was the first human she interacted with. I'm sure she made her mental model because of me. Seven years ago, I was blown off a bridge by a thanatonium warhead. The damage done to my body must have been severe, but somehow I survived and woke up in Hawaii. Up until a few years ago, all I remembered was being put through naval school..but I don't think that's what truly happened. She mentioned someone else, her sister...and how she visited me every day while I was in Hawaii, but I for the life of me can't remember that. She told me that when the missile hit, I landed on Musashi's deck, and she was the one that took care of me and brought me to Hawaii. Yamato was the one who took care of the rest." he said.

"But that's unheard of...what would the Supreme Flagship gain from saving a human? Especially with an implant as dangerous as the one that they did to you?" Takao asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but she's taken to me recently. She views me as an errand boy, and wanted me to go meet her sister in Madagascar. I'm scared that my refusal is going to be the cause of a battle between us and the Fog. She's the Supreme Flagship after all, and I'm sure I pissed her off by refusing to handle the mission."

"You most likely did. Yamato isn't one to mess around when it comes to getting work done, however her motives aren't always as clear as some of the other Fleet of Fog members. While some of us follow the Admirality Code to the letter, there are others who follow the code by other means. I think Yamato fits into that category." Hyuuga replied.

"So wait...are you saying that Yamato has another reason for why she's doing what she's doing?" he asked curiously.

"Could be, but right now I'm not so sure." the brunette said firmly. After finishing her diagnostics she hopped onto her pod and floated toward 401. Her orange rings expanded a bit as she started repairing all of the damages done to the ship. Jonas decided to sit down, getting a bit tired of standing. He pulled his legs closer to himself, resting his face on his knees.

"This is all so confusing...what does Yamato want? Why is it that I feel a twinge in my heart whenever Musashi is mentioned...just who is she?" he asked firmly.

"Well...in layman's terms, Musashi is just like Yamato, a Supreme Flagship, however she defected from the Fog seven years ago and disappeared entirely. Some say she was hiding, others say she was just lying in wait to attack her sister. Recently though, the European Fleet of Fog have made mentions of a Yamato-class Superbattleship being in the area...a supposed Scarlet Fleet. Not much is known I'm afraid." Hyuuga said.

"Is that all you could gather from the Internet before connections ceased?" Takao asked, gaining a sudden interest.

"Yes, that's right. Even then, there are stray messages on the comm system from time to time, I like keeping the channels open in case I run across one of those. Now, what is it that you want me to do for you Jonas? If you'd like I can take a look at Theta after I'm done with 401."

"I would appreciate that, thank you...but that's not why I'm here. Last night, you increased my processing power to 25%...I want you to increase it to 50." he said.

"50%...are you insane? Something like that so soon, it could devastate your body, especially because we don't know what would happen to you." Takao snapped, glaring at the boy beside her. He smirked.

"Aw, so you do care...that's nice."

"What...I just don't want to see you die idiot. I've heard plenty of things, about your stupidity and unwillingness to die..but I've also heard nice things, about wanting to befriend us...I suppose having a dream like that isn't all that bad." she said.

"But that still doesn't mean what Takao said isn't true. Are you willing to take that risk Jonas?" Hyuuga asked. He gave her a nod.

"I don't know what's out there...the American Fleet of Fog...I've faced them before...Saratoga, Ticonderoga, Virginia and Lady Lexington...they're all pretty scary...I just want to be ready to handle anything that get's tossed our way." he said. Hyuuga nodded, turning her eyes back to the task at hand.

"I'll increase your processing power to 50%...but remember, this might affect your entire body. Not just how you act, but your bodily functions as well. You might be more Fog than human after we're done."

"If it means having the power to protect my friends, than I'm willing to throw away what little humanity I have left." he said firmly. Takao's eyes widened a bit in shock. She refused to believe what she was hearing. She turned to him, grabbing a handful of his shirt.

"You are insane...there is a thin line between being human and being Fog...how can you dare cross that line without a care in the world? Are you stupid?" she asked. He merely chuckled at her.

"I'm not stupid...you might think I am, but ever since I found out about this core...I've just wanted to see what it could do. I've been feeling less and less human by the day...just thinking about the ones that failed, those kids that died..I was the only survivor of that horrible experiment. The only one who gets to breathe...why would I want to be a human after that? After those atrocities were committed in the name of Hope? Under the Flag of the country that I grew up in? Those scientists...those researchers and government officials...they've done nothing more than to shame our land...if I had the choice to remain a human, I would throw it away..I would rather be of the Fog..then at least I wouldn't have to worry about the ones who died before me." he said. Takao slapped him across the face, anger coursing through her. It was a feeling she was familiar with, and one she could definitely live without.

"Shut up! You don't think death affects us? You don't think we don't have that burden too? I've killed hundreds...thousands of humans since I woke up, and casually disregarded them like useless washcloths...but ever since I developed this mental model, and I met Chihaya Gunzou...I've come to realize so many things. This world is beautiful, I've gained self awareness that I didn't think I had. I feel pain, I feel guilt for what I did. How can you say you want to be part of the Fog because we don't feel guilt over the deaths of others? You don't know us!" she snapped.

"Takao...I think that's enough...he's confused...just let him be." Hyuuga said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She sighed, letting Jonas go. He grabbed his cheek, a smirk on his face.

"You know, it's always the pretty girls that slap really hard." he said, making her blush a bit.

"I...well..shut up!" she snapped.  
"Tsundere." he said, in a sing song voice. That only seemed to make her blush even more.

Xxx

"Are you sure about this Haruna?" Kirishima asked, glancing over at her sister. Both of them found themselves in the pavilion. It had gotten a lot brighter since they had last been there, and they swore they could hear birds chirping. Haruna gave her a nod, choosing to remain silent.

"Haruna, Kirishima...why are you leaving the fleet?" Kongou asked, surprising Kirishima who almost fell off the table.

"Jeez, I've told you not to do that!" she snapped. Kongou merely ignored her, glancing at her younger sister.

"I have found my way...I've found the reason for me to exist." she said.

"The Design Child?" Kongou asked curiously, earning a nod from her.

"I made her a promise, that I would be her friend..and I intend to keep that promise." she said.

"Friend...I do not comprehend this...Haruna the scars of being in battle and next to humans has put a burden on your processor. Things often times fall to fatigue...you must undergo repairs. Return to the Fleet." the woman said simply.

"I'm sorry, but I've made my choice. I will not be returning to the Fleet." she said, ending the connection. Kongou sighed, glancing at Kirishima.

"Are you leaving the fleet as well?" she asked.

"Um...for now..I intend to keep a close eye on Haruna...to make sure she's fine." she replied.

"Will you not leave Haruna's side?"

"I-I'll take that into consideration." she hastily replied. Soon enough, Kongou was on her own. She took a sip of her tea, a frown on her face.

"I see...so that's how it is. Maya.."

"Yes Kongou?" the girl replied, already being in the pavilion.

"You are aware of the current circumstances correct?" she asked. Maya gave her a nod, looking at the holographic screen before her.

"Yup, I am up to speed on everything." she said.

"Good, you will rendezvous with me, together we will deal with this problem!" she said.

xxx

"Yay, finally! I get to do something, other than be someone's captive! It's gonna be a carnival!" Maya cried, loading every single missile launcher and torpedo tube with active charges. She was finally going to get her part in the story.

Jonas felt a bit odd now, he had undergone another procedure, bringing his processing power up to half of what he normally would have. While the feeling of motion sickness wore off after a few minutes, he couldn't help but feel a little weird. It was as if he wasn't even in his own body. He could hear his own heartbeat, or rather the simulation of a heartbeat from his core. He was more in tune with his surroundings now, and could hear anything he wanted, so long as his sonar was active. It also felt like something within him moved, though he didn't know what. He felt as if something was under his command, but wasn't sure of what it was exactly. He figured it was his ship, which had somehow homed in on him, but Hyuuga assured he didn't have the power to move his ship yet. He opened and closed his hands for a few seconds, just staring at his palms.

"So, how do you feel?" Hyuuga asked curiously. Jonas looked at her, a small smile on her face.

"I feel like I'm living inside the internet...like whatever I need to know, I can learn within seconds. It's a weird yet airy feeling...is this what you all feel?" he asked, directing his question to both her and Theta, who had been watching over him for awhile.

"I'm not sure what you mean when you said "Airy Feeling" but I suppose that's what we feel. Wait until you take over your vessel, it's gonna feel even better. Knowing you have all of that firepower at your control, it's gonna take you a long time to fight the urge to just blast away anything in sight." Theta said.

"I've run some extra diagnostics on your core...the previous personality, that of Iowa, was a pretty smart individual, even for a mental model. She seemed to over think everything and choose the best course of action, I believe this has also affected you. It's an asset to have in battle at least...you're Klein field is also pretty strong. At 50% processing power, you'll be able to deflect everything that's thrown at you, at least until you reach 80% saturation, after that you'll most likely fall to fatigue." Hyuuga said.

"Alright...I suppose that's good to know. With this power, I'll be able to make quick decisions in battle." he said. A series of beeps filled their ears, and Hyuuga quickly opened up her search system. A smirk worked its way onto her face.

"Hmm...so it seems Kongou has found us. It's a little bit early for her to show up though...I wonder how Sister Iona will feel, seeing her simulation was off by a few hours." she said.

"Uh...this is bad right? Isn't she the Flagship now?" Jonas asked.

"Indeed, after my departure, it was Kongou who was assigned to the fleet. Takao left shortly after, with Kirishima and Haruna following after her. Let's not forget, you guys attacked Shiretoko and in turn took Beta and Theta with you...she must be feeling pretty angry about all of this." She said.

"So, what exactly are we going to do about it?" Jonas asked curiously. Hyuuga smirked, glancing at her friend.

"I think we should let Chihaya Gunzou handle it. It might be the best course of action." she said. He nodded and turned to Theta.

"I want you to launch the boat, be on standby for anything that will happen. I'll get the crew down in a few minutes...I dunno what will happen, but I want you to be ready for anything. Remember our mission." he said.

"Ensure the safety of 401 and make sure to get the Vibration Warhead unharmed to San Diego California, by any means necessary." she said firmly.

"Right...I'll be going now." he said, turning to leave. He sighed softly to himself. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he would make sure to be ready for anything.


	15. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey everyone and welcome to the newest chapter of Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Emerald Eagles. This chapter is going to be based off the events of episodes Eight and Nine of the anime, as Gunzou and his friends prepare for their journey to America, Kongou decides to pay a visit to him at the Blue Steel Home Port. Jonas is also getting ready to fulfill his escort mission and protect 401 at any cost, but he is also curious to meet Kongou, the Fleet Flagship of the First Oriental Fleet. It isn't going to be an easy mission, that is guaranteed.**

 **I hope you like this new chapter, I worked really hard on it. However due to my computer updating, chapters 15-17 ended up getting deleted. I had written these to give myself a bit of wiggle room and have something to post every week, but I ended up getting screwed over, so as much as I hate to abandon this at this time, I'm going to have too. I will continue it eventually, but loosing three chapters at once was a heavy blow, and I only reread chapter 15, so I don't remember what I had written for 16 and 17. I hope you all understand.**

 **Without further adoo, heres the new chapter! Read and Review and all of those other fun things.**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 13

Jonas was gathered in the meeting room, along with Hyuuga and Gunzou. The man had already sent his crew down to the submarine to await further orders. For now, they would wait for Kongou and Maya to come ashore. He was still stunned that he had been willing to invite them onto the island. Haruna and Kirishima were off to one side of the room, protecting Makie, who was still a bit confused about everything. Hyuuga placed a hand on Jonas's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Relax, I can feel your heart rate increasing." she said.

"Sorry, I'm a little nervous. This is the Flagship after all...I know I sound redundant, seeing as I've talked with Yamato...but honestly she doesn't strike me as the insane, empty my entire armament on you type." he said.

"Jonas, what is the meaning of the word Redundant?" Haruna asked curiously. He glanced at the blonde, a small smile on his face.

"Well, Redundant is when something that's done has no impact on the overall outcome of what you are trying to do. Like, if I went to the store and bought some Milk, knowing I have six gallons at home, it would be redundant to buy another one." he said.

"So basically, it's when something is no longer needed or deemed useless. Since you have milk at home, more milk would be useless. I will log this." Haruna said, her screen opening before her.

"You know, I'm rather curious about that, why do you collect words?" Jonas asked. Haruna looked at him, a small smile on her face.

"I believe the art of speaking to be very intriguing. Sometimes, it's much better to convey things by words of mouth rather than by writing, or even using the comm system. I want to collect as many words and phrases as I can, so I can enrich myself further."

"Wow, I didn't know you wanted to do something like that Haruharu..it's really cool." Makie said, making the girl blush a bit. Gunzou cleared his throat, glancing at the screen as Kongou and Maya made their way onto the beach. Iona and Takao were standing next to each other.

Iona had been wearing a really cute orange swimsuit. It was really odd seeing her in anything other than her normal outfit, but it really brought out her cuteness factor. Takao on the other hand attempted to use her sex appeal to garner some interest from Gunzou. She was wearing a red bikini, with a white outline. It showed off her natural curves nicely, as well as brought out her chest, the bikini bottom was rather tight on her, and had thin strings tied into bows. She also had a pair of white sunglasses on her head. The two of them were standing oddly close, keeping an eye on Kongou and Maya.

"Well..I'm gonna go welcome them. You all stay here alright?" Gunzou said, leaving the room.

"Will he be fine?" Theta asked curiously.

"Of course he will. He's Chihaya Gunzou after all." Hyuuga said, shrugging her shoulders.

"That isn't a reason you know." Kirishima said, earning an eye roll from the brunette. Theta was about to say something when a message window opened up before her. She clicked it open, reading the message.

"It seems Shiki and Suzy made it to Midway without issue...they are currently working to set up the harbor for our arrival. Tohka seemed rather giddy at being given a mission on short notice." she said.

"What about your sister?" Jonas asked.

"Tohka was able to extract Alpha's core from her body and allowed her to gain her own Mental Model, she and Beta are at our home port currently keeping an eye on it. She was also able to restore Isuzu's hull, so they aren't defenseless." she said.

"That's good, tell them to keep a weather eye on the horizon and report any changes directly to us." he said.

"Understood, sending message now."

"Well, looks like Kongou didn't waste any time with her greeting." Hyuuga said, watching the screen intently. Kongou and Iona seemed to be at a standoff, both of them using their Klein fields to attack each other. After a few seconds Iona switched to a more defensive role, holding back the violet sword that Kongou was controlling, at least until Gunzou showed up. Hyuuga stood up, stretching her arms.

"Well, I'm gonna go prepare some tea for us. Maybe we can all shoot the breeze for awhile." she said, turning to leave the room. Jonas grew a little more nervous. Not finding anything to do, he just folded his hands over his lap.

"You look like a wreck. Hard to believe this is the man who took down so many ships in the past." Kirishima said, chuckling a bit. Jonas glared at her.

"Kirishima, I wouldn't talk if I we're you. Don't you remember what happened two nights ago?" he asked, a smirk on his face. The bear zipped her lip, not wanting to provoke him any further.

"So...what do you think is going to happen here?" Nick asked, leaning back in his seat. He and the rest of the crew had already boarded their vessel and were waiting for their orders, if any of them ever came.

"I'm not sure, we're treading on dangerous waters already...I'm not sure why Gunzou wanted a meeting specifically with all the mental models. I suppose it's to get some answers to some questions that have been plaguing him." Chloe said, eyes on the sonar. The entire island was surrounded. Kongou and Maya were facing the front of the island, blocking the path they would have to take if they wanted to make a hasty escape. The rest of the island was surrounded by Nagara-Class cruisers, something that Theta had been rather upset about.

"Wonder what will happen when the kid sees Jonas here...I'm sure she's still pissed off at him for taking over her ship." Nick continued.

"If anything, she'll be gearing to fire at us...that should serve as enough of a distraction for 401 to get out of here. And don't think you've escaped me asshole, I'm still coming after you." Taco exclaimed, still angry at what Nick had done. The young man chuckled, ignoring him completely.

"Boys, let's not let that stupid argument deter us from our current mission. Serina, I want you to run the Klein field at 3%, start charging energy in case we need to leave." Miku said.

"Copy that, setting the klein field percentage to three. Proceeding to redirect extra power to the main engines." she said, hastily typing everything into her console.

"Look alive guys, it's showtime." Nick said, glancing at the screen. Gunzou had just led Kongou and Maya into the meeting room he had chosen, which happened to be the Captain's Quarters. All of them watched attentively, making sure not to miss a single thing.

Kongou looked around the entire room, not really familiar with anything she was seeing. It was all new to her, all foreign objects that held no meaning to her. She walked toward a the window at the back end of the room, noticing everything that was beyond it was a simple illusion.

"An imitation." she said simply.

"Just like we are." Hyuuga said, catching her attention. Kongou straightened up, eyeing the woman with a fierce glare.

"Fast Battleship Hyuuga...I didn't take you to be one to side with humans." she said firmly.

"I didn't think I would side with them either...but here I am...although I'm surprised to see you here on land. So...this is the form you like?" she asked, looking her over.

"It has nothing to do with liking it. This is simply what was available to choose from, it doesn't take much computational power." she said simply. Jonas swallowed hard when he caught Maya's hateful glare. Instead of saying anything, he just gave her a grin.

"Hey kiddo, wasn't expecting to see you here." he said.

"Shut it meanie...I'm going to fire my payload at you the first chance I get!" she snapped angrily.

"Aw, sure you will...go ahead and try, but we aren't going doing that easily." he said, giving her a pat on the head. She pursed her lips and looked away from him, turning to Hyuuga.

"Do you have a piano here?" she asked, her previous anger washing away instantly.

"There should be one in the lounge's bar area." she said, looking at the ceiling in thought.

"Okay, I'll go play it later." she said, jumping onto the bed. She bounced on it for a few seconds before grabbing one of the pillows, hugging it tightly.

"Well, ladies, and gentleman, please make yourselves comfortable." Gunzou said, taking a seat at the corner of the room, where he could see everyone clearly. Jonas ended up sitting on the corner of the bed next to Maya who gave him another hateful glare.

"Well..I've prepared tea, so I hope you like it." Hyuuga said, pouring a cup for everyone. Kongou took a sip from hers, touching her lips right after, a small smile on her face.

"It's hot...human bodies sure are interesting." she said.

"Do you like it? It's Earl Grey, we bought some from India not that long ago..thankfully Chloe didn't drink it all...that would have been a travesty." Jonas said, a smirk on his face.

"Answer me this Jonas...what are your plans with Yamato?" Kongou asked, directing the question to the only other male in the room. He set his cup down, giving her a firm look.

"What do you mean by that?"

"A few days ago, she initiated contact with me and alerted me of your core's activation. She also informed me that she herself would be traveling down here to meet up with you. Why is the Supreme Flagship so interested in you?" she asked.

"I can't answer that Kongou...I truly don't know what she wants with me. She wanted me and my crew to handle a personal mission for her, but I turned her down. If she's still coming into your waters, then it's not because of me." he said. She took a sip from her tea, looking around the room.

"You all impress me...especially you 401...it was you that started this...contacting humans...befriending them...you are the sole reason the Fog is unstable. I've come to this island not because of your invitation, but to inform you directly that I'm going to sink you. I'll sink you and those who are opposing the Admirality Code." she said firmly.

"You honestly think Juvenile threats are going to scare us?" Theta snapped angrily.

"I wouldn't dare talk if I we're you. Up until a few weeks ago, you were nothing more than an underling, not even able to form your own mental model. Shiretoko has been good to you, to all three of you." she said, referring to Theta's older sisters. She grit her teeth, her grip tightening on her tea cup.

"Now now, we didn't come here to throw insults and threats at each other. We came here to learn a bit more about each other." Hyuuga said.

"That reminds me...why did you make a Mental Model now of all times Hyuuga? It seems rather odd coming from you."

"Hmm...I never told you?" she asked, pouring herself another cup of tea.

"You were never one to initiate contact, so no I am not aware of the reason." Kongou said simply.

"Oh...I suppose I never did tell you. There isn't a reason really...I just wanted to help Sister Iona the best way I could. I figured making a Mental Model would be ideal. When she attacked me last year, and I felt her torpedoes penetrate my hull, I just...felt so alive...I just had to pledge my loyalty to her." she said.

"That's absurd." the blonde said.

"Not really...sometimes people make decisions on a whim just because it seems like the most logical thing at the time. Hyuuga made a mental model because she loves Iona, and she wants to help her out with anything she might possibly need. Is that so hard to understand?" Jonas asked. The woman glared at him.

"Love is a concept that doesn't hold anything meaning in the Fog." she said.

"But Love does enrich a person...it teaches you a lot about yourself and how you see the world." Takao said.

"I've got another question...I've asked Iona this one countless times, but I want to hear an answer from all of you. What are you? What is the reason for your existence?" Gunzou asked. Everyone remained silent, processing the question.

"Well...I'm not truly sure what we are. From the day we woke up, we just..were what we are today." Hyuuga said.

"Blockade the oceans and stop all maritime commerce...that's the only order we have." Takao said.  
"From the Admirality Code...and what is the code exactly?" Jonas asked.

"Well...to put it in simple terms, the Admirality Code is our highest directive, it stands far over the Supreme Flagship and her orders. It should be impossible to disobey them." Hyuuga said.

"And yet you all did...or rather the true question is how you were able to disobey them? From the moment we woke up, the Admirality Code made it very clear what are orders are, and you all managed to defy them...all because of you." Kongou said, looking at Iona who had remained silent.

"No...I doubt it was because of Iona...if she was the start of it all, then wouldn't her sisters also be the same as her? Able to sway anyone to her side? I believe the one who started this all was Musashi...after all she was the one who took me to Hawaii seven years ago, the one who most likely talked Yamato into saving my life. She should hold the answer you do desperately seek." Jonas said, finishing his tea. He noticed Maya had fallen asleep, she had a cute look on her face, not at all violent or threatening.

"That is true...400 and 402 showed no signs of corruption from when we encountered them early this morning..it must be something else." Theta said, shrugging it off. Kongou stood up, glaring angrily at Gunzou.

"I've determined that the reason so many of you are betraying the Fog is because of this man right here. If I we're to remove him, then everything will go back to the way it should be. The same goes for you Jonas Rongil, I will destroy both of you." she said firmly. Everyone remained silent, letting the threat settle into their minds. Jonas, while mildly amused, was also nervous. Kongou's threat was very real, especially with the firepower she currently had at her disposal. Gunzou however only remained silent, standing up from his seat.

"I'm Hungry." he said.

"What?" the blonde woman hissed, completely taken aback.

"Why don't we head to the beach? I don't think Hyuuga would mind grilling us up some food." he said.

"Not at all captain, I would be delighted too." she said. Takao looked at Kongou, a hint of amusement on her face. Everyone stood up, turning to leave the room. Kongou followed after Gunzou, a pissed off look on her face. Jonas stood up, shaking Maya a bit, the girl looked at him with a far off look in her eyes.

"Come on, everyones heading to the beach for a little cook out." he said. She stood up, yawning a bit while rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I haven't forgiven you yet Jonas...but I suppose I can let it go for now." she said.

"Let's hurry kid, before all the good stuff is gone, I haven't eaten anything myself." he said, leading her out of the room.

"Man, I bet Jonas is having the time of his life right now." Shiki said, looking back at the open sea. Midway Atoll was located literally half way between Japan and America. It was a beautiful marine sanctuary, once protected by the United States of America, as it was part of the Hawaiian Archipelago. However after everything happened, the atoll had to be abandoned. A single stone building still stood on the flat part of the only remaining island. It had been years since any human had set foot on it. Tohka had been crafting tons of nanomaterial since her arrival, several large piles being all over the place. She was currently directing it all at the old building and at one of the other areas, expanding it and creating new land high above water. Shiki was surprised to see the whole atoll wasn't under water.

"I heard from Theta that he's actually meeting with Kongou and Maya...I doubt it'll lead to anything positive." Isuzu replied. She was currently flattening out the airfield, making sure their F-15 could take off from the abandoned airfield in a hurry. Everything was at least coming along fine. Her hull was pointing straight out to the ocean, all of her missile launchers and torpedo tubes locked and loaded.

"I agree with Suzy...when Kongou is involved, nothing good will come from it. I remember how she used to lead the Fleet, after Hyuuga left. It was almost like a dictatorship, I'm happy Jonas freed me from that."

"Thank me too, I was the one who thought of the idea." Isuzu said, a proud smile on her face.

"Hey, it was me that drove my torpedoes into your hull in the first place, if I hadn't sunk you, Tohka wouldn't be here, so thank me too." Shiki said. Tohka giggled, shaking her head.

"Thanks, to the both of you. Now let's continue, we've got several days of hard work ahead of us ladies, and Jonas surely wants this done by the time they leave Iwoto." the brunette said, raising her arms high into the air. The nanomaterial all flowed at her command, as she started forming another building, making sure to follow the designs she had copied into her memory. All of that stopped however when she heard three beeps in her sonar. She opened her search system, eyes widening a bit.

"Uh...guys...we have a problem." she said, glancing over her shoulder. Shiki swallowed hard, already seeing what the problem was. In front of them was the Supreme Flagship, along with her personal servants, and they were making their way to land. She glanced at Isuzu, who gave her a firm nod.

"Continue working on the harbor and everything else, I'll deal with Yamato." she said firmly. Isuzu nodded and walked up to Tohka, whispering something into her ear. Shiki stood firmly at the surf, ignoring the water washing over her shoes. Yamato stopped in front of her, a glowing white octagon under her feet. 400 and 402 were at her sides, firm looks on their faces.

"It's so nice to see you again Shimakaze, this is the first time we've met in the physical realm in over a year. You've been keeping well." she said.

"Yamato...to what do we owe this visit?" she asked firmly.

"Well...if you do recall, Jonas did say if I had a problem with his decision, I could bring my ass over to his home, and since you guys weren't at your home port, I decided to come here. Building a temporary camp I see...how goes the construction Shiretoko?" the woman asked.

"Um..it's coming along alright Madam Yamato." Tohka said firmly.

"Tohka, don't address her like that. I'm your flagship now remember, she has no hold over what you can and cannot do, continue working. And you, don't distract them...you are on our land and if you continue to trespass, we will fire at you." Shiki said. To emphasize her point, she re-positioned Isuzu's guns, aiming directly at Yamato's ship. The woman giggled, shaking her head.

"I didn't come here to cause you trouble, I came here merely to wait for your captain. 400, 402, escort Theta here to Midway, make sure nothing happens to them." she said.

"What of our rebellious sister?" 400 asked, earning a curious look from 402. Yamato shook her head.

"She's too far gone...if you get the chance...do fire at her. I know it may be painful but..."

"Do not worry Madam Yamato...she is but a target now. We will get it done. Let us go sister." 400 said firmly, leading her sister away from the shore.

"400, 402...don't do this...Iona is your sister...don't you think this will hurt her as well?" Shiki shouted back, only to be ignored by the twins, though 402 did look back, a sad look on her face. 400 took her hand and pulled her along, soon enough the two submarines disappeared under the water. Yamato waved her hand, using some of the spare nanomaterial to create a beach chair for her. She twirled around, exchanging her dress for a swimsuit, which consisted of a bright red top, which barely covered her voluptuous chest. The bottom was also red in color, and had a short frilled skirt around it, which was black in color, and was also a bit ruffled. She sat down on the beach chair, a smile on her face.

"It's been quite a long time since I've had the chance to relax. Not to worry ladies, I've issued a cease fire for this entire area, so rest easy nothing will attack us. I just want to meet my dear younger brother." she said, placing her arms behind her head.

"Younger brother?" Shiki asked curiously.

"Yes, that's what Jonas is to me now, seeing as my little sister is still fond of him...oh the poor thing, too bad he turned down my mission, it would have surely made her core skip a beat. Oh well...mind preparing some tea for us? You must be parched after all this work." she said. Shiki narrowed her eyes as she brushed past her.

"I'm not your servant. On my land, you are under my jurisdiction, if you want tea, make it yourself. Come on girls, let's keep this up." she said. Yamato giggled to herself.

"It's good to know the deserters developed quite a personality." she said.

Back at Iwoto, everyone had moved onto the beach. The smell of food drifted through the air as Hyuuga continued grilling. Large cuts of steak and kabobs made of grilled vegetables sat on the large gas stove. Haruna and Makie were playing with a beach ball, though the blonde was struggling a bit. She was wearing a pale yellow bikini, which was unlike her normal attire. Her coat was placed on one of the beach chairs, and it was visible that she was struggling a bit. Kirishima was stuffing her face, eating several large steaks one after another. Jonas was rather impressed with how much food she had already eaten.

Takao and Hyuuga were currently having a fight of some sort, arguing over a piece of meat that was supposedly being made for Iona, even though the girl had said she wasn't hungry, though she was munching on a couple corn cobs earlier. Jonas felt a smile work it's way onto his face. All of the mental models were behaving like normal people...one could stand at the other end of the beach and not guess that they were in fact part of the Fog.

Kongou however had remained silent, just watching everyone. She had a plate filled with food beside her, but hadn't touched a single thing. He himself had already eaten his fill, but unlike the Fog, he didn't have an endless stomach. He stood in front of her, catching the hateful glare she was giving him.

"Do you not like the food?" he asked.

"I didn't come here for the trivial matters such as these." she replied. He frowned, looking back at the sea. He could see her ship, which was pointing it's prow right at the island. Maya wasn't that far either. He could also sense the other Nagara-Class cruisers waiting for their orders.

"I haven't told you my dream have I?" he asked. She just remained silent, though she had a curious look on her face.

"Well...I dream of a future where humans and Fog can be friends. I don't understand why the Admirality Code issued those orders, but looking around now...I can't see the difference anymore. We're all people...born on this planet. So why can't we all just...be friends? When I struck that deal with Shiki over a year ago...I had regained hope. I grew up learning everything I needed to know about being in the Navy...but that was all just a lie. I don't know who I am...or what I am. But that doesn't mean I can't fight for a better future. Gunzou...he's planted the seeds of hope all over the world. If we are to understand each other...I'm sure we can all live peacefully."

"You truly believe such nonsense?" she asked. He looked at her, seeing the blank look on her face.

"Well yes ma'am I do. I got everything I need right here, I got the air in my lungs, wonderful friends, and best of all...I have hope...hope that one day, the world can change. We have the power to do that, to change the way we think, how we act and how we see each other. I don't see you as an all powerful battleship, hanging onto an order which makes no sense. I see you as a woman, who is confused on what she wants to do with herself, and seeks the destruction of someone who she views as a threat. But you too can change...you can...and when you do...you'll learn to love yourself and those around you." he said firmly.

"Lies...you are full of lies Jonas Rongil...kindly leave. I wish to be alone." she snapped at him. He sighed and walked away, sad that she didn't see things his way. He suddenly stopped, pulling his head back as a ball of sand sailed in front of him. He turned to the one who threw it, glaring at her.

"Really Maya, you resort to throwing sand balls at me?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I was supposed to hit you, stay still meanie!" she cried, throwing another ball at him. He deflected with his Klein Field, giving her a smirk.

"Alright, you wanna play a game, then let's play a game. You have too much energy, hmm...wanna play badminton?" he asked, glancing at the net that had already been set up. She looked at it for a few seconds, giving him a nod.

"Okay...but I'm still going to shoot you."

"Yeah yeah...grab a racket, I'll serve." he said, grabbing one of the rackets from the small box, along with a birdie. Once they were in place, he threw the blue birdie into the air, smacking it with his racket. Maya pulled her arm back, slamming the racket into the birdie, sending it flying through the net.

"Jesus!" Jonas cried, jumping out of the way. The birdie slammed into the sand, leaving behind a flaming trail.

"Yatta! I win!" Maya cheered.

"Alright, one point to you, I'll serve again." Jonas said, grabbing the birdie from the ground. He didn't hold back this time, slamming the birdie as hard as he could. Maya quickly countered, sending the birdie back over the net. It wasn't long before the two started getting into the game, swinging their rackets as hard as they could. Everyone was watching them intently, paying attention to the burning blue flames that they were hitting back and forth.

"So, who's winning?" Takao asked curiously.

"Not sure...I think Maya has a point." Haruna replied, her eyes following the flame. She squeezed the water out of Kirishima's body, dampening the sand under her feet a bit. Maya jumped into the air, swinging her racket as hard as she could. Jonas's eyes widened a bit and he dove forward, trying to strike the birdie back, only for it to sail through his racket, melting it on contact.

"2 points, you really suck at this Jonas!" Maya cheered, a smirk on her face. Jonas panted a bit, brushing his sweaty locks behind his head.

"My arm hurts...maybe this wasn't such a good idea." he said, grabbing another racket. Jonas was about to serve again when he noticed Kongou stand up. She had a firm look on her face.

"Chihaya Gunzou, I don't understand what it is that makes Mental Models flock to you...but I will destroy you. I will eliminate all abnormalities within the code. We've taken preventive measures to prevent our cores from coming into contact with you. I humored you by accepting your invitation, but it changes nothing. Come Maya." She said, her body slowly started disappearing, the active nanomaterial flowing back toward the ship.

"Can I play another round?" She asked.

"No...return to your ship." Kongou snapped, making the girl pout.

"Aw...how unfair." she said, her body started disappearing, flowing back to her ship. The sounds of the turrets filled their ears as the ships took aim at them. Gunzou sighed.

"I'm sorry we could not reach an agreement." he said. Jonas tapped his ear piece, hearing a bit of static.

"Jonas to bridge, do you hear me?" he asked.

" _Loud and clear captain, what are your orders?"_ Miku asked.

"All hands to station, prepare a counter attack. Kongou and Maya will attack." he said, just then, the sounds of missile tubes filled his ears. He looked back to the sea, seeing hundreds of missiles flying toward them. Hyuuga ditched her cooking utensils, raising her hands into the air, forcing a klein field over the entire island. She grit her teeth, absorbing all of the hits she could.

"You think you can get past my field? You've got another thing coming Kongou!" she snapped.

"Quick Theta, back to the ship. I'll stay here." he said.

"But Captain, are you sure about this?" she asked.

"Trust me, we'll be fine. Go." he said. Theta nodded, racing off toward the underground docks, her red bathing suit glowed brightly, turning back into her normal outfit. Jonas closed his eyes, linking himself to Hyuuga and putting a second field over her own. She looked at him curiously, noticing all of the others were doing the same.

"It's best if we work together." Haruna said, earning a nod from her.

"Captain, what are your orders?" Hyuuga asked, glancing back at Gunzou. She grunted a bit, several more rockets slamming into the field.

"Defend the island, we'll be making our way to Midway." he said firmly.

"Alright, go...I'll handle things here." Hyuuga replied.

"Are you sure?" Jonas asked.

"This is my battle, you've got your own crew to handle." she said, giving him a smile. He ended the link and gave her a nod. He turned around and ran off, following the others toward the ships. Hyuuga cracked her fingers, jumping into the air. She landed on her pod, her bathing suit changing back into her usual attire.

"Now that Sister Iona is gone, I can show you my true power. Don't underestimate the processing power of a fast battleship!" she shouted, activating her missiles.

"Man, Hyuuga is raising hell." Jonas said, stumbling a bit as the whole building shook.

"Jonas, can you give us some cover fire?" Gunzou asked.

"Easily, but we're facing several Nagara-Class vessels and Maya. It's not gonna be easy." he said firmly. He sighed, giving him a nod.

"What are you gonna do Takao?" Gunzou asked, looking at the blue haired girl. She blushed a bit, looking away from him.

"Um...I dunno...I suppose I have to repay you for feeding me and letting me stay here...if I join you, I'll decide when I leave." she said, giving him a smirk.

"Alright, Welcome to Blue Steel." he said, holding his hand out. She looked at it for a second, reaching for it only for her to pull it back. She let out a breath, finally shaking his hand. She turned around, biting her lip hard while looking at her hand.

"I've got an idea...Takao...would you mind having extra people on board?" Jonas asked.

"Eh...what do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Gunzou, tell your crew to go with Takao and take the warhead with them, we'll rendezvous 300 nautical miles from Iwoto and continue to Midway." he said, highlighting the spot on his map.

"I see...you plan to use yourselves as a distraction...Kongou is after 401, not the warhead...alright, I'll allow it." Takao asked. Jonas gave her a nod.

"Good luck boss, see ya later." he said, clapping the man's shoulder. He gave Iona a bright grin before running onto his ship. Once at the bridge he took his seat, giving a nod to the others.

"Alright guys, we have to provide some cover fire to the 401 and Takao, at least until we can get out of this island. Kongou isn't going to let us through easily, so we have to prepare. We might sink, but we'll have to hit them hard." Jonas said.

"We're prepared for that. I told you before man, we're with you 100% of the way." Nick said.

"To hell and back!" Taco said. Jonas smiled firmly.

"Alright, Theta I want you to remain under the water. Dead Slow Ahead!"

"Dead Slow Ahead!" Theta said, her rings expanding a bit. Loud bells rung through the building as her hull started diving under the water. Jonas gave Gunzou a final look before disappearing under the waves.

"How futile...they are outnumbered and yet they still continue to fight." Kongou said, leaning back on her bridge as she continued firing her photon guns. Having already fired her Super Gravity Cannon, she had to take a bit of a break while her processing power recovered, Maya however continued her assault, a grin on her face.

"I wished I could have finished that game, it was so much fun!" Maya said. Kongou glared at her window, clenching her jaw.

"Maya, you have already spent enough time next to these humans, no longer shall you be allowed to interact with them, is that understood?" she asked.

"Yes Kongou." Maya said, sounding a bit dejected.

She was about to say something when several Thanatonium warheads were shot at her. She raised her hand, blocking them all with photon blasts. Theta's hull rose from the water, her klein field already active. She fired several more warheads, nailing two Nagara vessels, loud explsions filled Kongou's ears as the two ships sunk below the waves.

"Damn humans. Maya, prepare your super gravity cannon!"

"Yes Kongou!" Maya said cheerfully. She twirled around on her bridge, her vessel opening as her Super Gravity Cannon rose high above her. Bright pink energy swirled at the center, making her grin.

"Night night Mr. Jonas!" she cried, firing her cannon at them. A bright blue beam connected with hers, allowing Theta to turn away from the blast. Slowly rising from the water was the Heavy Cruiser Takao. Her klein field glowed a bright blue, as her hull changed to match the color. She smiled brightly, her crimson rings turning a bright blue.

"I'm his ship right now. I can't give in, especially to a ship of my class!" she screamed.

"Boo...no fair Takao!" Maya shouted, increasing her power. Her eyes widened a bit when a thanatonium warhead slammed into her forward deck, blowing a hole on her port side. Her ship jerked a bit, causing her to fall back.

"Kongou, I'm taking in water!" she cried.

"Nagara Vessels, take out that thorn in our side!" Kongou snapped angrily, standing up.

"Theta, hard to starboard. Nick flood tubes 1-8 and load thanatonium charges, load everything we got into all available tubes. Taco, launch the generators!" Jonas cried. Nick's hands were flying back and forth on the touch screen, filling every available tube with whatever they had. He hit the red Fire button, shooting them off. The Nagara-Class vessel rocked back and forth on the choppy water, making them all hang on to their seats.

"Captain, Fast Battleship Kongou is changing her course, she's going after 401." Chloe said firmly.

"Heh, I knew it. Quickly, take down Maya while she's repairing, we can't let her go after Kongou or else she'll come after us." Jonas said.

"Firing all available thanatonium warheads, we're down to seven captain!" Nick cried, firing his payload at Maya's hull. They all heard the ship bend and creek from the impacts it was taking. Jonas looked away, not wanting to see Maya in pain.

" _Jonas, Maya is going under...it doesn't seem her core is damaged..what do we do?"_ Takao asked firmly. He swallowed hard, looking back to the screen. He noticed the massive swirling of clouds forming above them. He knew using thanatonium warheads and firing the Super Gravity Cannon tended to mess with the weather quite a lot. He shook his head.

"Do you see her at all Takao?" he asked. Another explosion rung through the area, as the final Nagara vessels were taken care of. Maya's vessel was slowly sinking below the waves, but he saw nothing.

" _She's clinging to her stern..what do I do?"_

"Continue with our rendezvous location, I'll take care of Maya. Theta, make a course to the sinking vessel, we'll pick her up and lock her weapons." he said.

"Aye captain, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, we can always use her as a bargaining chip against Kongou." he said. He felt the ship making it's way toward the doomed heavy cruiser, stopping next to it just as the stern went under. Maya however had clung onto one of her life boats, the water bobbing wildly as she tried to hang on her deer life. Jonas made his way to the deck, standing next to the railing.

"I'm sorry...you know I had to do it!" he said.

"Just pull me out of the water meanie!" she cried out. He made a field, extending it down to her. She stepped off the boat, moving toward her deck. As soon as she made it aboard, she threw a punch at him, which he easily blocked.

"Why...why do you have to be so mean with Kongou? She's so nice! She just wants to make the code stable again!" she cried. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, the sole fact that she was crying was confusing her even more, she was scared and she didn't know why.

"Maya, what Kongou is doing isn't the solution. It's just a means to an end...weren't you having fun on the beach? Playing Badminton, eating all that food? Weren't you having a great time? You can have that and much more...please...just stop fighting against us..I promise that we can have more fun together." he said.

"What about Kongou?" she asked.

"We'll do the same with her...it will be hard, but Kongou can change...we'll all be friends." he said. She wiped her tears away and gave him a nod.

"Can we...can we go to a real carnival? Try all of the candy?"

"Until we throw up. What do you say Maya? Would you allow me to be your friend?" he asked, holding his hand out to her. She gave him a nod, taking his hand.

"Let's be friends Mr. Jonas...or should I call you captain now?" she asked.

"No...you can call me Jonas. Welcome to the Emerald Eagles Maya...I promise we'll take care of you." he said. She nodded, noticing Kongou was gone, by now it had started to rain down, rather hard on them. Takao pulled up next to them, jumping down to her forward deck where Hyuuga was waiting as well.

"Iona and Gunzou made it out fine. They left via Full Burst Mode, we're moving toward our rendezvous point." Takao said.

"Alright, we're a little light on armament, but we'll protect you as best we can. Continue on course until we reach the meeting point." he said. The two of them nodded, and Takao sped off, shifting her course to avoid Kongou entirely. Theta started moving in the opposite direction, sticking to the outer seas as much as possible. Maya frowned, watching as the last of her hull fell below the waves, bright pink flames shot into the air for a second before being put out.

"Let's get out of this rain...I'm not sure if mental models get sick, but it isn't good to be outside...I'll get you a towel so you can dry off." he said, turning to Maya who just gave him a nod.

"Kongou...I'm sorry...but I want to be friends with everyone...we can all be friends together." she said softly, before following Jonas. She was still very confused, but she was sure she would have the answers soon enough.

xxx

"Captain, the USS Iowa is on the move." a young cadet said. The vessel jerked a bit as it sped off, picking up speeds unimaginable to humans. Admiral Daniels, no Captain, swallowed hard as he hung onto the walls within the ship.

"Has it chosen a course?" he asked.

"Negative, we're currently sailing at 50 knots in the direction of the Pacific Ocean. We don't know exactly where." the young man said. He gave him a nod.

"All hands to station, prepare for battle. We're treading dangerous waters and we must be ready for anything. Set the klein field to 15%, just in case."

"Aye captain." the young man said, running toward the bridge to relay the orders. Daniels pulled a flask from within this jacket, taking a long swig from it.

"This ship has a mind of it's own. I doubt Jonas is even aware of it...may God have mercy on us all." he muttered, taking another swig. He didn't know what would happen, but he was being put directly in danger, all because of his bastard boss. He had never agreed with anything the Governor said and did, and now it was obvious...this was a suicide mission, and he could only hope to make it out alive.


	16. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 14 of Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Emerald Eagles. This is the last chapter I had written before my computer decided to update itself, thus chapters 15-17 were deleted. :( But this will not be the end. I have decided to rewrite this story. This was like an experiment of sorts. I tried various things, saw what worked and what didn't work. The new story will most likely follow the same events as this one, but it will be better written than this. I admit this wasn't by best, but for a Maiden Voyage, it was okay. Heh, ship pun.**

 **Anyway, I have no idea when this rewrite will take place, as I'm busy working on the Hellfire Dragon Slayer, so please bare with me. I'll see if I can get started on a draft soon. It will be a lot different than this, mostly because I'm going to make it so the Eagles don't meet up with Blue Steel until much after, perhaps after Yokosuka. I also want to develop relationships with I-400 and I-402, since I-400 is going to be one of the main girls Jonas gets together with, I want to make their relationship a little more developed instead of just shoving them together for convenience.**

 **Musashi is also another girl who I'm interested in pairing up with Jonas, but I haven't thought of a way to develop their relationship, other than him being forced by Yamato to do stuff. I'll have to work out the kinks, but I'll get it done..eventually. The crew will remain the same, and so will the fleet, I mean I've worked on it already, why change it up?**

 **Anyway, this is going to be it for now, so please enjoy this chapter...**

Arpeggio of Blue Steel

Emerald Eagles

Chapter 14

Hours had passed, and neither Jonas nor Takao had any idea where 401 was located. They had been steaming full ahead, trying to reach their destination, but when they arrived, they saw nothing. The seas were choppy and the winds had picked up. The rain battered the decks with all the power it could muster, but nothing came from it. The Fog Vessels continued circling the area, hoping...waiting for 401 to surface, but nothing could be seen. Little did they know, two dangerous individuals were currently hidden in the depths of the ocean.

The 401 was slowly falling deeper and deeper into the ocean, two large holes from the charges it took, were currently allowing access to all the water, flooding all of the forward and backward compartments. Laying on the floor of the bridge was an unconscious Chihaya Gunzou. The unexpected hits to his ship had launched him from his seat, causing him to get hurt in the process. Beside him lay Iona, also unconscious from the surprise hit. She stirred a bit, her eyes slowly opening. She sat up, clutching her head tightly.

"Gunzou?" she called out. The teenager groaned in pain, his eyes fluttering open.

"Iona...are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine...engaging Full Burst Mode, lowered all of my other processing capabilities...I wasn't able to detect them." she said. Gunzou sat up, leaning against his chair. He cried in pain, clutching his arm tightly.

"Looks like my arm is broken...and I have a cut on my head too. Could you get me the first aid kid Iona?" he asked. She nodded, standing up from her spot on the floor. She stumbled a bit, since the submarine was falling at an angle, with the bow pointing upward. She walked over to the far side of the bridge, opening a small box. She pulled the first aid kit from inside, quickly handing it to Gunzou.

"Thank you...can I get a damage report?" he asked. She nodded, bright blue rings flashing around her. She displayed the information on the screen, a frown on her face.

"We took two thanatonium charges to the bow and stern. Forward compartments are flooding. The damage to the stern includes the engine room and the starboard side thrusters. We won't be able to surface."

"Can you self repair?" he asked.

"I will try." she said, accessing her self repairing program. The program booted up, only for it to stop half way. She hissed, looking away from the screen.

"I am unable to self repair. An onset of active nanomaterials have stopped listening to my command, making it impossible to repair. Only two ships are capable of doing this." she said.

"Your sisters?" he asked.

"Indeed. With my lowered processing power, I was unable to detect them. I'm sorry Gunzou." she said.

"Don't be...fighting Kongou and dodging all of that energy..plus engaging Full Burst Mode..it was a tall order...something like this was bound to happen, we should have planned better." he said. He made a makeshift splint with some wood from the crates and placed his arm in a sling, made from his shirt and tie. He sighed, leaning back against the seat.

"Iona, purge all damaged compartments, focus your available processing power on maintaining the vessel's operations. Also, send out a distress signal, maybe Takao and Theta are above us." he said.

"Yes Gunzou."

"Sister, it seems 401 is broadcasting distress signals...do you wish for me to stop her?" 402 said, looking at the video feed that showed her sister. The pink haired girl shook her head.

"Negative, we shall proceed to surface. We must meet with Kongou." she said.

"Alright...but...are you sure this is right?" 402 asked. Rather than answer her question, 400 just ended the feed. She sighed, engaging her engines. She set course to Kongou's last known location.

On the surface, Theta had stopped her engines. She had been broadcasting signals for the last half hour, keeping her eyes firmly on the waters ahead of her. The rocking of the ship on the water's surface was making her a bit nervous, but still she kept broadcasting.

"Anything yet Theta?" Jonas asked, standing next to her. Having grasped the concept from both her and Maya, he had been broadcasting his own signal on the normal channels, hoping to pick something up.

"Nothing...being in close proximity to all of that gravitation energy has made things harder for us. The firing of the cannons, the thanatonium warheads, all of it messed with the fabric of space and gravity...the signals are all behaving abnormally." she said.

"Even using the comm system is harder for us now." Maya said, from her spot to Jonas's right. After having joined his crew, her once pink rings had turned a bright green color, matching that of Theta's since she had become her active Flagship for the time being.

"Damn it...we weren't planning for something like this...Takao, anything yet?" he asked.

" _Sorry Jonas, we're trying here but we're having the same issues on our end."_

"Alright...keep us updated if anything comes up." he said. He sighed, sitting down on the plush chair behind him. He had already given his crew a break, having been working for hours since leaving Iwoto. It was just them on the bridge now...since he had a higher processing power now, he didn't require much sleep, so he decided to stay awake and keep patrolling with the girls at the bridge. He rubbed his eyes, a yawn escaping his lips.

"Jonas...if you're tired then go ahead and rest. We've got this." Theta said, a tone of worry in her voice.

"No no...I can't...last time we were taken down by Kirishima and Haruna, all of us weren't expecting it. I'll stay up, I have to make sure my friends are alright." he said firmly. He expanded his search a bit, making sure his sonar was receiving incoming signals.

"On the...off chance that we cannot locate them...what are our orders?" Theta asked. Jonas looked at her, a stern look on his face.

"We are going to locate them...and until we do, we aren't moving from this spot." he said.

"But...Jonas...we're.."

"I said we aren't moving Maya." he snapped. The girl huffed, flicking a strand of hair behind her shoulder.

"Now you listen here Jonas, we are in the middle of the ocean, with little armament and a damaged vessel. I already lost my own, and it won't be long until Kongou comes after us. If we can't find them, we have to go!" she said firmly. Jonas was surprised, he hadn't known Maya long, but he didn't peg her to be the serious type. He chuckled a bit, making her tilt her head.

"I wasn't expecting that from you Maya...I'm impressed."

"You promised me we'd go to a carnival after we were done this mission, and I intend to go to one." she said firmly.

"All of this seems weird...like it was planned. Iona should be able to self repair under any condition, so if she was sunk, she should have surfaced by now...unless.."

"Unless what Theta?" he asked. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Well...while I was helping Tohka back at HQ, I learned a bit more about nanomaterials and how they work. Seeing as our entire lives are comprised of it, I figured it would be good to learn everything I could. As it terns out, sister vessels can control the nanomaterial of other hulls. Alpha and Beta can control my nanomaterials and help me repair, in turn my processing power isn't wasted, meaning I can continue to fire if I need to. If Iona was sunk, she was attacked by surveillance submarines...Sen-toku class submarines." Theta said firmly.

"I-400 and I-402...Iona's sisters...but why would they do that? To their own sister?" he asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter...if we are sisters or not, as long as someone is a target, we attack them. I attacked Takao earlier today, as well as Isuzu...it didn't matter to me then. I felt guilt sure..but I ignored it for the sake of the code." Maya replied.

Jonas couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Fog attacked all enemies, even if it happened to be their sisters. He felt angry at the fact that they didn't care for things like family...if they were an enemy, the would attack them. It made absolutely no sense to him why something like that would even need to matter. He would never attack his family...it just showed him how much of a difference there was between humans and the Fog.

"You know...I've grown to hate the code, ever since Shiki mentioned it to me over a year ago...but now...I'm more disappointed in it than angry. How can it just...allow you to attack your sisters? No..how can it force you to do it? Even if they are enemies, you don't attack your family." he said.

"It is the way it is. For us Fog vessels, there is nothing more comforting than listening to the code...but now that we are free..it makes us appreciate life more. Don't worry Jonas, we'll find 401, we aren't letting Iona or Gunzou die here." Theta said.

"I know...just continue broadcasting those signals...I'm just gonna close my eyes for a bit." he said, settling into his chair.

Iona adopted a fearful look. It had been over an hour since she had fallen to the depths of the Pacific ocean. She had been staring at the screen in front of her, keeping an eye on Gunzou who had been sitting on the floor, his eyes also on the screen. She had been broadcasting a signal for the last hour, but she had yet to hear anything back. Alarm bells started ringing in the bridge, making her jump to her feet.

"What's wrong Iona?"

"We've lost three more compartments." she said. He sighed, looking away from the screen.

"Purge them, focus on keeping the functions stable." he said.

"Gunzou...all of the life support systems for the vessel are in this sector...do you still want me to purge them?" she asked, glancing back at the boy beside her. He swallowed hard, looking back to the screen.

"Purge them..maintain power to necessary functions for as long as you can." he said firmly. She nodded, purging the three compartments that had flooded. She felt a disconnection to the nanomaterials that had once composed them, most likely having flowed away with the currents. She sat back down, keeping an eye on her captain.

"Anything yet Iona?" he asked.

"No...I've received no incoming signals." she said. He sighed, a frown on his face.

"Alright, just keep broadcasting on normal channels for now." he said. She nodded, closing her eyes for a bit. She didn't know what to do..normally, if she were alone she would have already purged everything she could, whatever it took to make sure she surfaced...but now that she had a crew, now that she had Gunzou, she couldn't just abandon him. It was all new to her, but she had already decided not to leave her friends behind. She looked back to Gunzou, noticing his breathing had become more ragged.

"Gunzou...are you okay?" she asked.

"I-I'm fine...j-just a bit c-cold." he said. She ran her fingers on the floor, seeing the ice that had started forming on it. She opened up her status screen, eyes widening a bit.

"The temperature of the bridge has fallen significantly." she said.

"As...expected. I-I'll be f-fine..get me t-the blanket f-from the first a-aid kid." he said. She nodded, grabbing the kit next to her. She pulled out the silver blanket and pulled it from the packet. She draped it over Gunzou's body, making sure it was wrapped tightly around his body. He had taken off his suit and made a makeshift pillow out of it. His breathing had become more ragged and labored, and he was shivering a lot more than before. She opened up a window, projecting his vital signs. His heart beat had lessened a bit, falling under 80 BPM. She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking at her hands.

"Gunzou...I can simulate the metabolic system to create body heat...do you want me to proceed?" she asked.

"N-No...save your e-energy." he said. She licked her lips, giving him a slow nod. She conducted a search to find an alternate solution, but instead found nothing. She instead found information on Hypothermia, and compared Gunzou's symptoms with her findings.

" _If he doesn't warm up soon...he could die."_ she thought to herself. She closed the window, preferring not to look at it any longer.

"You...know something...Iona...I'm glad...to have met you." Gunzou said, a smile on his face.

"I am too...Gunzou...you are my captain...my closest friend." she said. He chuckled, looking at the ceiling above him.

"Who would have thought...a Mental Model would infiltrate our school, posing as a transfer student." he said.

"It was the only thing I could think of..I couldn't attract attention." she replied.

"Yeah...it was just the two of us for the longest time...then Sou joined us...with Kyouhei and Iori...and then Shizuka joined us as well...our close friends...we became a family...though thick and thin..all because of you. Then we met Jonas and his crew...our fleeting dream...it was becoming a reality." he said, holding back some coughs.

"It will be a reality...Jonas is friends with all of those other mental models...if he can do it..so can we." she said firmly.

"That's right..that's absolutely right." he said, giving her a smile. He started shivering again, the bitter cold getting to him. His arm hurt, and he could feel his heart starting to beat a little faster than before. He didn't have much longer...he just hoped someone would come for them.

xxx

Having escaped the minefield Hyuuga laid down around Iwoto, Kongou prepared to pursue 401. She was angry, angry that Maya had lost her hull, but she was aware of her desertion, and it pained her even more. She glanced at her sides, seeing the four surviving Nagara cruisers, the ones who would be loyal to her until the end. She gave them a nod, about to set her course, at least until 400 and 402 surfaced beside her. She looked to her starboard side, seeing the gangplanks connecting with her ship. She walked down to the boat deck, meeting the two mental models.

"Flagship Kongou...we've received orders to check up on you." 400 said firmly, looking at her superior. The woman chuckled, brushing some hair from her eyes.

"Who gave you permission to attack 401?" she asked curiously.

"We acted alone. 401 was causing abnormalities within the code, so we decided to remove her from the equation..you can now return to your normal patrol fleet." 402 said.

"You don't have the right...401 was supposed to be sunk by me." she said firmly.

"She has been taken care of..please return to your normal patrol, this concludes our report." 400 said firmly, spinning on her heel. Kongou grit her teeth in anger.

"What of Maya?" she asked.

"What about her? She's a deserter...she deserted you and sided with the humans...she fill suffer the same fate." 400 replied.

"The same fate...you wish to destroy Maya? You want to kill my friend?" she asked.

"Why do you wish to be friends with her? She betrayed you after all." 402 replied. That just seemed to piss Kongou off even more. 402 noticed this and hurried her sister along, returning back to their vessels.

"Sister, perhaps we should keep an eye on Kongou for awhile longer. Her emulator values are changing, it seems she's growing quite angry."

"Don't worry 402...Kongou will be unable to do anything...let us continue our patrol. If something occurs we will return to her side." she said, entering her vessel. 402 sighed, looking at the rapidly darkening sky.

" _Why does this all seem so wrong? Can't we all just...get along?"_ she thought to herself.

"We haven't found anything yet...damn it...at this rate they might be gone!" Theta snapped angrily. She had moved onto the boat deck, choosing to resume her search outside. Maya was standing next to her, her eyes firmly on her search system. Jonas was standing near the railing, eyes on Takao's hull. She, along with Hyuuga, Kirishima and Haruna had also moved onto the boat deck, hoping to increase their search.

"Any luck?" he called out, over the roar of the rain storm.

"Nothing yet, not even a ping!" Hyuuga called back.

"Fucking shit! This cannot be happening!" He snapped, slamming his fist against the railing, denting it a bit. Theta huffed, but said nothing as she widened her search system even more.

"There's nothing we can do...our best course of action is to continue for Midway post haste. It won't be long until Kongou catches up to us, and if that happens it's game over for everyone." Haruna said.

"But we can't leave them behind! What about the captain?" Takao snapped, glaring at the blonde.

"If there's a chance that they made it unscathed, in waters that deep and temperatures that cold...he wouldn't have lasted more than half an hour, provided Iona was able to keep all life support functions stable...if she wasn't.." Hyuuga didn't continue, choosing not to. She had an anguished look on her face as she looked at the water.

"If she wasn't what? Come on Hyuuga...answer me!" Takao snapped, grabbing a firm hold of her coat.

"There's nothing we can do. We proceed with our orders, Jonas Rongil his now our captain, we must follow his orders to the letter." she said firmly.

"What are you saying? What happened to all of that Sister Iona bullshit you were spouting about back in Iwoto?"

"Don't you dare think for a second that this doesn't hurt me. It does, it hurts more than anything I have ever experienced, but the mission comes first...if we fail to deliver that warhead, then we are all fucked!"

"Girls, it's alright...we aren't moving from this spot until we find them...if I have to go down there my damn self, I will." Jonas said firmly. Takao looked at him, a thankful look on her face. Her eyes widened a bit in apparent realization.

"I have an idea, Hyuuga, can I borrow that egg thing?" she asked, pointing to the pod that was sitting on the deck.

"Uh...sure but..what for?" she asked.

"I can't move from this spot, but that doesn't stop me from searching. I'll go down there, if I don't find them...then I'm at your mercy Jonas." She said. He sighed, giving her a nod.

"Go ahead Takao, Maya shift all of your power to keeping an eye on Takao, I don't want anything to happen to her."

"Alright Jonas, I'll do as you ask." she said. Takao stepped into the pod, sitting down on the only seat. Hyuuga programmed it to follow Takao's orders before slowly closing it up.

"Good Luck Takao...I hope you find them alive." she said.

"Don't worry...I will." she said, just as the pod closed. Hyuuga smiled, placing a hand on the pod.

"Girls, help me launch it...401's last known location is a few meters from our position, maybe she'll be lucky and land right on top of them." she said. Haruna nodded and helped Hyuuga out with the pod, Jonas having made a path to Takao's ship, grabbed the other end of the pod, walking slowly toward the edge of the ship. With one final push, they tossed the pod over board, watching for a few seconds as it sunk deeper into the water.

"It's in her hands now...all we can do now is watch." Hyuuga said. Jonas placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile.

"They'll be fine...Gunzou is stronger than anyone I've met..he's more fit to be captain than anyone...even me." he said.

"Don't sell yourself short...you've made many friends already...your dream is sounding more attainable my the second." Haruna said, giving him a smile.

Iona finished purging the last compartment in the submarine. The once proud Blue Steel Flagship was nothing more than scrap metal on the ocean floor. Everything had been purged by her, in order to maintain all functions. It had grown very cold within the bridge, the only thing left of the submarine. She lowered her gaze back to Gunzou, who was barely breathing...carbon dioxide levels had risen, and now almost all of the air in the cabin had been contaminated by it.

His heart rate had only gone down, and she had closed her status window, not wanting to listen to the beeping of his heart, the beeping that would soon ceased as it stopped beating. She wasn't prepared for that yet. She sat beside him, holding his hand tightly. She turned her gaze back to the screen, all of her functions were still stable, and without the extra compartments she had saved a lot of energy, but she didn't know how long she could go on.

"Io...na."

Her eyes snapped away from the screen as she looked down to Gunzou, who was looking at her with firm loving eyes. He had an anguished look on his face, and she could see the tears slowly dripping down the sides of his head. She knelt before him, holding her ears next to his lips.

"Cease...all...life support...functions." he strained out. Iona backed away from him...looking into his eyes. They were glazed over, and unfocused. He wasn't thinking logically..but she couldn't disobey.

"Is that a direct order?" she asked. He gave her a nod.

"Live...Iona...I.."

His eyes drooped close...his chest having stopped moving. Iona knelt closer to his face, holding her ear close to his nose to see if she could hear him breath. She didn't hear anything. She placed her hand on his chest, looking for a heart beat.

"Gunzou..are you okay?" she asked quietly. She pushed on his chest a couple of times, remembering to keep her hands near his chest. If she kept his blood flowing then he could wake up. She shook him again, a bit harder.

"Gunzou...wake up!" she cried. She took a hold of his hand, holding it close to her face, just like he had done a few times before. Except this time she didn't feel it move. It felt cold..and lifeless. She let go of his hand, eyes widened in shock.

"Gunzou...Gunzou you can't...please...don't leave me alone! I don't want to be alone!" she cried out. She stood up, her bright blue rings illuminating the bridge around her. She increased her signals, in a desperate attempt to call for help. She knew the others were above her, she knew they were there.

"Please...Kirishima, Haruna...Hyuuga, Takao...Theta...Jonas...anyone please." she cried, hoping to get a signal out, to hear a single ping on her sonar. Hot tears fell down her cheeks, but she didn't care...she just didn't want to be alone. She looked back at Gunzou, who let out groan of pain. Her eyes widened a bit as she dropped to her knees, shaking him a bit.

"Gunzou...you're okay." she said, though he didn't respond. She nodded to herself, finding a solution. She opened up her specs, finding the designs for a survival pod. She looked at her hands, opening and closing them a few times.

"Live...That's right...you told me to live..but I can't live without you." she said firmly. She looked at the design a final time, before directing her active nanomaterials in Gunzou's direction, enveloping his entire form. The pod started taking ship, shielding him from the water that soon started pouring in. She gave him one final smile, placing her core in the pod beside him, just as the last of her nanomaterial drifted into the pod, solidifying it. It glowed a bright blue, just before the water burst through the weakened hull, forcing it through the hole in the side of the bridge. It wasn't long before the power cut out in the main room, throwing it into the darkness.

" _Anything yet Takao?"_

"Sorry Jonas...I can't see anything...I did receive her signal though, so I know they're fine." the blue haired girl said, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, hoping they were still alive.

" _How are your operations? Are they stable?"_

"Yes Hyuuga, the pod is stable...I honestly thought this thing would cave in on me once I got past a thousand meters."

" _Ha ha, very funny Takao...never underestimate my power...it could very well save your life!"_

"Yeah yeah...oh wait...I got something." she said. She pressed the button in front of her, turning on the rest of the lights. She looked around, keeping her eyes on the screen in front of her. She pointed the lights down on the ocean floor, seeing nothing for the first few seconds. Her eyes widened when she saw all of the discarded nanomaterial. She saw several missiles laying on the ocean floor. She swept her light more to the right, finding what was left of 401's hull. It was rapidly disintegrating, the water having opened a huge hole in the side.

"No...no...Captain." she cried out, her hand flying to her mouth. She kept searching, hoping to find something, when a bright green light caught her eye. She aimed her lights in that direction, noticing a silver pod on the ocean floor. She hovered above it, looking within it. Gunzou was laying inside, breathing steadily. She noticed a violet core next to him, bearing the insignia of the Fog.

"Silly...there's no room for me is there?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes. She took a deep breath, nodding to herself. She pressed the red button in front of her, throwing the pod open. She swept her arms forward, swimming down toward the pod. She hovered over it, her hand placed firmly on the glass.

" _Chihaya Gunzou...for you...I'd give up everything."_

She placed her hands on the pod, her entire being glowing a bright blue. Back on the surface, everyone watched in awe as the light blue nanomaterial composing Takao's ship, started being pulled apart. Jonas clung onto the railing, confused on what was going on.

"Sacrificing oneself to save the one you love...I think Takao has finally learned what sacrifice truly means." Hyuuga said firmly.

"What...what's she doing?" Jonas asked, only getting a smile from the brunette. He shook his head and formed a path back to Theta's hull. He saw his crew out on the deck, looking at the rapidly disintegrating vessel beside them. It wasn't long before the heavy cruiser had completely disappeared, leaving behind Gunzou's crew and the Vibration Warhead, floating on some inflatable rafts.

Jonas just watched in awe as they heard a loud bubbling at the surface of the water, just before a large submarine surfaced from beneath the waves. The rising sun shined on it's hull, it's bright blue markings glowing brightly in the light. The crest of Blue Steel was visible on the port side of the ship.

It was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. The submarine had grown in size, and had gained new armament from merging with Takao. Takao's markings could be seen on the side of the ship, along with all of the turrets that had once been on her deck. The submarine had also gained two large funnels on her upper decks, as well as several more photon cannons near the stern. She had also gained all of Takao's vertical missile tubes, which now spanned the entirety of her poop deck.

"She merged her hull with 401...this is the first time I've seen an Attack Submarine." Theta said, several windows opened up before her. Her eyes widened a bit at all of the new readings she was getting.

"This is insane, her firepower is amazing." she said.

"I'm a little scared now...it's a good thing I joined you guys." Maya said, looking away from 401.

"Quick, let's make sure Gunzou and Iona are alright..they might be hurt." Jonas said, forming a bridge between the ships.

It wasn't long before he had made his way to the bridge of the 401. His eyes grew wide as he looked around, seeing just how big the bridge was now. After having merged with Takao, they had not only gained her firepower, but also a lot of her processing power. Jonas stopped gawking and walked further into the room, stopping next to the captain's chair. Iona looked up at him, eyes brimmed with tears.

"Gunzou is hurt...please help him." she said. He nodded and knelt down before him. He placed his fingers on his neck, sighing in relief when he got a pulse. He pulled the man into a sitting position, holding him up right, his eyes slowly opened and he looked around the room, confusion written on his face.

"Huh...what?" he asked.

"Gunzou...are you alright? Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?" Jonas asked.

"No I...we were...attacked...what happened?" he asked.

"I'm not sure myself. Takao went to go look for you, but she ended up merging her hull with 401. She's gone." he said. His eyes widened a bit, and he looked at the floor.

"I see." he said. Jonas looked him over, a frown on his face.

"Looks like you have a serious cut on your head, and your arm is broken in two places...we won't be able to fix that here. We have to make our way to Midway. Maya, go and help Gunzou's crew load the warhead into the hold. We need to make haste to our base."

"Aye aye captain." she said, giving him a salute. She raced off, brushing past Gunzou's friends who hastily entered the bridge, various degree of shock on their faces. Jonas helped the teen up to his feet, moving him toward the chair so he could be more comfortable.

"Iona, is there a spare first aid kit in here?" he asked.

"I used the only one we had, all of our perishables and supplies were lost when we sank." she said sadly.

"I'll go grab ours...just keep an eye on Gunzou while I'm gone...you'll be fine alright?" he said, earning a nod from the young man. He was highly confused, but glad he was alive.

"Gunzou, what happened? We were worried sick." Iori asked.

"We didn't hear anything from you, Hyuuga and the others kept broadcasting signals, but we found nothing." Shizuka added. He gave a dry chuckle, looking directly at his friends.

"Iona's sisters attacked us right after exiting Full Burst Mode. We took four thanatonium hits, two were blocked by the field, but the other two did significant damage to our bow and stern. Iona could have easily repaired the damaged compartments, but her sisters took control of her active nanomaterial and left us to die." he said.

"Those little shits, they aren't going to be spared the next time I see them." Hyuuga snapped angrily. She hugged Iona tightly, and while the girl normally would have pushed her away, this time she welcomed it, happy to be with her friend.

"We can't attack them, they are formidable while together, and Theta has suffered plenty of damage already. We need to head out, as soon as we are able." Gunzou said.

"But Captain...are you sure that's a wise idea?" Kyouhei said.

"Yeah, we might get hurt!" Makie added. Gunzou smiled, patting the girl on the head with his good arm.

"We'll be fine. We just need to get away from here, Takao sacrificed her ship for us, so we can't let her down." he said.

"I agree...400 and 402 might be nearby, so we can't give them the satisfaction of an open target. Once I patch Gunzou up, we are steaming Full Speed toward Midway, Shiki will have munitions and various supplies waiting for us when we arrive." Jonas said, popping open his first aid kid. He pulled out some antiseptics and started cleaning Gunzou's cuts, earning a hiss of pain from him.

"All hands to stations, prepare to leave...we'll be fine. How's the warhead?" Gunzou asked.

"Haruna, Maya and Theta were able to load it into the cargo hold and were able to secure it. We're low on arms, so we need to make haste." Jonas said, earning a nod from the man. He leaned back in his seat, turning to Sou.

"Take control for me for awhile, I think I'll take a bit of a nap for now."

"Understood, I shall take over operations until you are well enough to continue." the masked teen said, taking his seat. He was surprised to see just how much everything had changed.

"So...what's the name of the ship now? Is it still 401, or do we call ourselves Takao?" Kyouhei asked.

"I think...I have name for it." Jonas said.

"Oh yeah...what are your thoughts?" Shizuka asked, taking her seat at the sonar station. She had gained more sensors now, and she was curious to see just how they worked.

"Ars Nova...it's a new 401, state of the art...and I was always a stickler for Latin...it just fits you know?" he said, placing a bandage on Gunzou's face. Iona gave him a nod.

"I like it...Ars Nova it is." she said with a small smile. Jonas finished up, closing up his kit.

"Well, I'll be off. We'll be heading on ahead of you, I'll have Theta send you the coordinates." he said, however just before he left, he turned back, looking at Shizuka.

"Before I forget, whatever Taco said to you, he didn't mean it. Nick put him up to it, he doesn't know how to speak Japanese so don't blame him. He...really likes you." he said giving them all a wave. He brushed past Kirishima and Haruna, giving them a nod before heading out the door.

"This is it guys...the final leg of our journey begins after we make it to Midway...we'll have oppositions from all sides, so let's tread carefully."

"Aye captain!" they all cried out.

xxx

400 and 402 were stunned. They hadn't been expecting Takao to merge with 401, they had been sure that she would have sunk to the bottom of the Pacific, but they had clearly underestimated their sister. 400 just couldn't comprehend it. She clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth.

"Just what makes you special 401? Why do other Fog ships bow down to you? Why do they sacrifice themselves for you?" she snapped.

"Sister, I worry about your condition." 402 said, earning a glare from her older sister.

"She lives...we must do something about it." she said.

"Indeed, but first we must make sure Kongou isn't up to anything. Let us go sister." 402 said firmly. The two submarines turned around, heading back toward the Fast Battleship who was currently making her way toward them. They felt something different about her, something had definitely changed within her programming. The two of them surfaced in front of her, causing her to stop. It wasn't long before the two girls made their way onto her deck.

"Kongou...what are you doing?" 400 asked.

"What does it look like? 401 surfaced, she's alive, just as it should be..so I'm going after her. It is my duty to sink her, so I can correct the anomalies within the Fog." she said firmly. 402 looked at her sister, a firm look on her face.

"Fast Battleship Kongou, it seems your obsession with 401 has warped your mind. We believe your actions are unfit of a Fleet Flagship, we hereby revoke your status as the Flagship of the First Oriental Fleet." she said.

"Huh...what?" Kongou asked, disbelief written on her face. Several windows opened up around her, she could only watch as her weapons were locked and she was rendered unable to control her ship.

"We shall assume the role of Fleet Flagship until you receive further orders, retreat to the outer seas while we handle 401." 400 said.

"You...you can't do this...under what authority do you revoke my status? You are mere surveillance submarines!"

"We have received orders from the Admirality Code, standby until we return." 402 said firmly. The twins turned around, heading back into their vessels, leaving behind an angered Kongou. She grit her teeth in anger, looking at the firm chains that had formed around her. The Nagara vessels that formed her convoy now turned their guns at her. Maya had betrayed her, her own sisters had left her. She was utterly alone, without a single friend, and she hated it. She looked down at the floor of her deck, glaring at it with her vibrant crimson eyes.

"You did this to me 401...and I swear I will destroy you!" she hissed under her breath.

Xxx

"Sir...we've slowed down considerably...we've cleared the Hawaiian waters and are now on course with a spot in the middle of the Pacific. We've detected several other Fleet of Fog vessels heading in the same direction!"

"Really? Keep an eye on them." Captain Daniels said, not at all interested in what was going on. Soon enough, he saw several other Fog vessels moving in tandem with the Iowa. He recognized them all, a Virginia Class, a Lexington Class, a Nevada Class and several Fletchers. All of them were chugging alongside them, not attacking them, but keeping speed with them.

"Sir...do we attack?"

"No...keep an eye on them. If they show signs of attack, then attack them back...raise the klein field just in case."

"Sir!"

" _I don't know where we are headed...but I'm sure it isn't going to end well for us...I just hope Jonas can spare us from this hell."_


End file.
